An Unexpected Little Surprise
by Lur27
Summary: AU. While investigating the murder of a young woman, Castle and Beckett find themselves with and unexpected surprise in their hands. Caskett established.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello! Back here with a new story! This is something that I've had in my head for a long time but I never seemed to be able to put together. Somehow now I've given it a try and I think it may work. First time I write AU, so excuse me if I get a little OOC and stuff :P

There's not much more to say, just that I hope you enjoy the read :) Have fun and thanks for reading!

Not beta-ed so sorry for any grammatical atrocity you may find in there.

**DISCLAIMER: I obviously don't own Castle. If I did, a lot of the stories posted in this site would already be a reality...**

* * *

**Chapter 1.**

Two months had passed since they started it. Two months since they had left all the doubts, lies and fears behind and decided to give themselves an opportunity and become a couple. Two months of alternating beds, breakfast with his family, funny faces at work when they arrived together and long walks in the Park on their days off. The best two months of their lives.

Now the lights of a beautiful Sunday at the Park - walking, talking and embarrassing themselves with a couple of unplanned make out sessions – were sinking down on the horizon as they made their way back to Castle's loft for the night. Beckett had been on call all day but they had been lucky, and the killers in the Manhattan area had behaved for the first time in a while.

Until then.

Beckett's phone started whining for attention in her pocket, startling both of them as they crossed the road out of the Park. The detective let out a long sigh and reached for the annoying device.

"Too good to be true…" She said before she slid her finger over the touch-screen of her iPhone. "Beckett."

Castle kept walking, listening to Kate's half of the conversation and pulling her with him with the hand she had slipped inside his own pocket due to the chilly temperatures. It seemed they had a body. He loved their job, but couldn't stop himself from thinking that it was quite a sad way to end such a beautiful Sunday.

Finally Beckett hung up. "We have a body. It's not far from here, we could go by foot." She suggested.

Castle shrugged and nodded, his lower lip making that cute pout Kate loved. "Ok. You guide, boss." He said winking at her.

Kate squeezed the hand inside his pocket and pulled on him towards the address they were required at.

* * *

It took them no more than fifteen minutes to arrive to the crime scene, and when they did, everybody was already there doing their respective jobs.

They were at a High School gymnasium. _Weird place to find a body on a Sunday_, Castle thought. He could see a woman lying on the floor, surrounded by a huge pool of blood. She was young, but not enough to be a student. Maybe a teacher.

Beckett stopped to talk to Lanie who was a few feet away from the body, writing on her pad and talking to a uniform. Castle, on the other hand, walked towards the victim. He was curious, as always.

When he got there he took his time to watch everything with full attention. The GSWs were visible in her chest and hip, and he could tell she had been dragged for a couple of feet, having into account the patterns on the bloodstain. Maybe the killer wanted to hide the body but had been interrupted.

He was there, rolling theories in his head, trying to find one that fitted, when he saw her face. Something struck him suddenly. He knew that woman. He couldn't remember who she was, but he was sure he knew her.

"Hey, Beckett!" He called her. "Do you find her face familiar?"

The detective frowned, concern starting to build inside her. She walked closer to the victim to look at her face. "Hmm. No, not really. Why? You know her?"

Castle squinted a little and nodded. "Yeah, I think I do."

* * *

Back at the precinct, after finishing their fieldwork, Castle kept trying to remember why the victim's face seemed to ring a few bells in his brain.

"I still can't imagine where could have I met this girl." He said out loud.

Beckett, who was now placing the new pictures on the murder board, looked at him and smiled. "It's probably nothing, Castle. This things happen." She said, putting a shot of the woman's blood-covered chest on the white board. "Or… Maybe… Well, she was kind of your type. You know, from… before…"

Castle gave her a look. Yeah, he had developed his own look. "Really?"

"Hey! You ask; I give you possible answers. You were not a monk when I met you, Castle."

A kind of proud smirk invaded his face. "Yeah…" He said wistfully.

The detective looked at him for a moment, her brows joined slowly above her hazel eyes, and when she saw he was not 'leaving' the thought, she hit him hard in the back of his head. "Hey! No fantasizing!"

"Ow!" the writer whined rubbing his head. "Ok. Sorry."

* * *

It was almost midnight when they decided to leave. There wasn't much they could do at night and they didn't have many leads.

The school janitor had found the body. The man worked on Sundays to clean up and have everything ready for the week start on Monday. They had had to call an ambulance after the poor man had a panic attack, so he hadn't been able to tell them much.

Also, there wasn't supposed to be anybody else in the building that day, which made the fact that she had been killed within the previous four hours to being found, a little weirder.

She didn't have any kind of ID on her, so they had to wait and see if her fingerprints were on their database. Until then, she was Jane Doe #00347586M at the morgue.

* * *

Back at his loft Castle was restless in bed. He couldn't stop thinking about the victim. There had to be something. She was stuck in his mind for one reason, but he couldn't find out what it was.

After a long while trying to make himself sleep, he gave up and got out of bed, trying not to disrupt the slumbering detective lying practically on top of him.

He went to his study and sat on his chair, rubbing his face with both his hands. Then he remembered about a big scrapbook he had somewhere around the dozens of shelves surrounding his desk. Maybe Beckett was right and the beautiful blonde had been one of his old conquests. If that was the case, she probably had been photographed with him coming out of any kind of event.

* * *

The morning found Kate alone in bed and feeling kind of cold. Her personal heater was nowhere to be found and his side of the bed was already cold, which meant he had been up for a long time.

She didn't have to wonder where he was or why he wasn't beside her in bed that morning. She knew how his mind worked. That woman had clicked something in his brain and he was not going to stop until he found out what it was.

Beckett got out of bed, used the bathroom and then walked to his study, where she knew he was.

And there she found him. Castle's head was practically hanging off the back of his chair. His mouth was open and he was snoring like a pig. Kate couldn't stop a chuckle at the view. His neck was going to hurt like hell…

She moved closer to him and put a soft kiss on the tip of his nose. He just wrinkled it and kept sleeping. Then she put another kiss to his left eye, then the right one. He moved his head to the other side and blinked repeatedly.

"Hey!" He said when he realized it was Kate beside him. "Ouch. My neck." He growled.

Kate smiled. "Yeah. That's gonna hurt, babe." She said kissing him on the lips and rubbing his sore neck. "Take a hot shower, I'll start breakfast."

He grinned at her like an idiot. "Thank you." And he stood up from his chair; daydreaming about that hot shower he was about to take.

Kate noticed the scrapbook in his desk and opened it to take a look. "You found anything in here?" She asked before he could walk into his bedroom.

"No. Nothing. Maybe I just think I know her but I don't… I don't know."

Beckett smiled. "If you really know her, we'll find out." She assured him.

* * *

When they arrived at the precinct the boys were waiting for them with some good news. The prints had been checked and they had a name.

"She's Alyssa Willick, twenty eight years old. She worked as public relations at 'The Back Door' club. The place is kind of elitist. Rich and famous pay a fortune to get in there." Esposito explained to them as they walked to their desk. "Ryan made some calls and we're going to talk to her boss right now. Oh, and Lanie called. The autopsy report is ready, you can go pick it up whenever you want."

Beckett nodded and smiled at the detective. "Ok. Thanks Espo. Call me if you find anything with her boss."

"Sure!" He said, giving them a thumb up. "See you later."

"Ok, Castle. Go make some coffee. I'll check this CSU reports and then we'll go see Lanie." She ordered, placing her papers around her desk.

The writer did as he was told and went to the break room to make two cups of coffee. Now they only stopped to buy it when they slept at her place, since he had the good stuff at home and she preferred it to the other. Still, he missed bringing her coffee every morning, so he took every chance he had to make it for her at the precinct. Old habits die hard.

* * *

After giving her her second dose of caffeine of the day and checking the reports, they left to the morgue to see Lanie.

"I can't tell you much more than yesterday." The ME told them when they entered her _office_. "Two gunshot wounds; one to her right hip and one to the chest. None of them were actually mortal. She bled out slowly. That fact made me think that maybe she was shot in the morning."

Beckett's head tilted to her side. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, it would have taken like a couple of hours, maybe three for her to bled out and she had been dead for at least four hours when we found her. That would place ToD at 2 pm more or less, but she could have been shout around 11 am." Lanie explained.

Beckett winced. "Hmm. That complicates things a little. Ok. Anything else?"

Lanie walked to a counter close her table. "I found this in her pocket. It seems to be a phone number." She said, handing the little piece of paper wrapped in a plastic bag to Kate.

"Thanks, Lanie." Said the detective putting the bag in he pocket. "Call if you find anything else."

"Sure, girl."

* * *

That evening, after having followed every lead they had at the moment, they were all gathered in front of the murder board exposing their theories and adding the new information the had found that day.

When Castle was about to tell his own crazy story he was interrupted by someone calling his name.

"Mr. Castle?" The voice asked.

The writer turned around followed by his partners, all intrigued about the foreign voice in their bullpen. "Yes?"

The man walked towards them offering his hand to Castle that shook it a little suspicious. "Oh, hi, Mr. Castle. My name is Andrew Carlson, I was Alyssa Willick's lawyer."

Castle frowned. "Oh. Then maybe you want to talk to the detectives here. I'm not very helpful when it comes to legal formalities."

The lawyer shook his head. "No. You are who I need to talk to. Could we do this in private?"

"Anything you have to say, they can hear it." Castle stated, looking back at his friends.

Kate took a step closer to Castle. She felt very protective and this was way too weird. Why did their victim's lawyer want to talk to Castle alone?

"Ok, then." Carlson said. "My client wrote her last will three years ago, Mr. Castle, and you're in it."

Four voices rose at the same time. "WHAT?"

The lawyer's eyebrows jumped in surprise and amusement. "She left you something I'm sure is going to… surprise you, at least." The man took a stack of papers out of his briefcase and proceeded to read. "In case anything ever happened to me, I grant the full custody of my son, Aidan Benjamin Willick, to Richard Castle, his biological father."

TBC.

* * *

**A/N: **I know, I'm bad… Sorry! This has been kind of a rushed chapter and I'm not very happy with it, but I think it's good enough to introduce the story. Please let me know what you think! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wow guys! You have me absolutely overwhelmed! I woke up on Tuesday morning to 47 alert emails! That's just amazing. I had never had such a response to a first chapter, and I'm really glad that you've liked the idea of this story. Thank you so much for that! :D You have no idea how happy I've been since then :P

Special thanks to those of you who left a review. It means a lot that you took the time to write me something :D

So, here we go! Next chapter, dudes :P I hope you enjoy this one as much as the first one :) Thanks so much for reading!

This was Beta-ed by the wonderful CastleWriter16. Thank you, girl! You're the best-est ;-P I loved the way you did this!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_In case anything ever happened to me, I grant the full custody of my son, Aidan Benjamin Willick, to Richard Castle, his biological father._

The words resonated in Castle's head over and over again, but he wasn't able to react in any way.

Kate, who had her hand on his shoulder, felt him wobbling a little on his feet so she tightened her grip on him and signaled Ryan to grab a chair for the writer. She made him sit down while he tried to digest what Mr. Carlson had just told him.

"Wha-… ho-… whe-… Oh my God…" Was all Castle could let out of his mouth.

The boys were both looking at each other absolutely startled, and after a moment they decided to leave, thinking it was kind of a private affair.

Beckett was the calmer one. She was as surprised as everyone else, but she needed to clear her head and find out what was going on.

"Mr. Carlson, I… We understand that you have an obligation to let Castle know about this…" she paused not sure how to refer to that kind of news. "I mean, how do we know that kid is really Rick's son? He can't just take the word of a woman he doesn't even remember."

The lawyer smiled and nodded. "I know detective. In fact there are a series of steps Mr. Castle would have to follow to get the custody of the minor, including a DNA test, of course." He explained. Then he opened his suitcase once again, took out a folder and handed it to Castle.

The writer was still in shock and didn't realize it, so Beckett took it and opened it to take a look. "What is this?" She asked.

"Everything your friend needs to know for the procedure. It's all explained in there." Carlson said with a flourish. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll give Mr. Castle the time he needs to take on the idea of his new paternity."

With that, the lawyer left the precinct and two very shocked partners trying to find out what to do now.

* * *

It was '_Beckett's apartment night',_ but seeing him so shaken she decided to take him to his loft instead, thinking it would be good if he was in a familiar space.

When they entered his apartment they surprised Martha and Alexis - who weren't expecting them that night - making dinner and getting ready for a movie night. Castle was still semi-catatonic and Kate pushed him straight to his study, excusing themselves with the girls by saying they had had a horrible day and were going to bed early. There was no way on earth she was explaining what had happened that day to his family on her own. He'd have the time to do it when he came back from his vegetative state.

As the couple disappeared through the red door, Martha and Alexis shared a knowing look and a smirk.

"Oh!" Martha sighed. "The Honeymoon phase. It's so wonderful…"

Alexis nodded effusively "Yeah…" Her grandmother gave her a stern look and the girl blushed deeply. "So I've heard." She added, swallowing hard.

* * *

Once in his study, Beckett sat Castle down on his chair and started pacing the floor between his desk and the shelves separating them from the living room. Her hands were tangled in her hair, trying to clear her mind for a moment and think about the bomb Carlson had dropped not an hour ago.

"Ok, Castle, we need to…" She stopped her pacing to look at him. The writer was still completely gone. "Castle!" Nothing. "CASTLE!" Still nothing. She walked near him and slapped his face softly "Hey! Come back!" He blinked but his face was still expressionless. Beckett panicked a little and slapped him harder. "RICK! For God's shake, snap out of it!" She said through gritted teeth.

Castle then took a deep breath and started looking around him as if realizing just then where he was. "When… How did we get here?" He asked.

"Oh! Thank God, you're back." Beckett exclaimed when he spoke. "I… You were completely out of it, Rick… I brought you here. Thought you'd feel better at home."

He let her see the shadow of a smile. "Thank you."

"Castle, we need to find out what this is all about. I mean, you don't believe him, right? That boy can't be yours." Kate said quickly.

Rick shook his head. "No, Kate. I… Actually, I think it could be true… You know about my past, how I was… Come on; don't tell me you don't have the tiniest doubt that it might be true."

"Yeah, ok. Maybe a tiny little part of me thinks it could be true, but that doesn't mean it is. Come on, Rick, this is crazy. If you are the kid's father why didn't she tell you? You're a famous author, you're rich… You could have taken care of the boy and her, had she asked. If this hadn't happened, if she hadn't been killed, you wouldn't even know about that child." The detective pointed out to her boyfriend. She was scared this could turn into one of his quests and come between them.

Castle ran his fingers through his hair and then rubbed his face with both hands. He really needed to clear his mind. "Yeah, maybe you're right. But what if it's true? What if that little boy who's just lost his mother and has nobody else in the world is my son? What if he's mine and I just give up on this and let him get lost into the system? I can't just pretend this didn't happen. That's not me, Kate."

Beckett let out a deep sigh. "I know." She said, squeezing her eyes shut. "I know, and if you want to do this I'll be with you every step of the way. I just don't want you to lose perspective, ok? You have to call your lawyer and do this right."

"Yeah. Don't worry. I'll do this right. I have you, don't I?" He said, reaching for her hand as she nodded. "Thank you."

Kate shifted closer to him, still trying to keep some space between them. He pulled on her hand and made her sit on his lap, filling the gap. "You're welcome. That's what partners are for, right?" She asked with a mischievous smile.

Rick nodded and leaned into her, brushing his nose against her cheek. "Yeah. That, and a lot of much funnier stuff…" He said raising his eyebrows playfully.

* * *

Kate stepped out of the shower and got dressed as fast as she could. They had slept in that morning and they were running late. When she was ready, she walked out into the study and found Castle there, taking a look at the papers Carlson had given them the day before.

The writer noticed her presence and raised his eyes to her, giving her a soft smile. "Hey, beautiful."

Kate walked closer to him while he got up from his chair and met her midway to his desk. "Hey yourself." She said back, before leaning in and kissing him good morning.

They took their time, even though they didn't have it. Once their lips touched there was no way of rushing it.

At last they parted. "Hey, I've been thinking - I'm not coming to the precinct with you this morning." Castle said, tucking a rebel lock of hair behind her ear.

"Oh."

"Yeah. I think I should start taking care of this as soon as possible. Take it out of the way. I want to go see Robbie and get started right away." He explained taking the folder from the desk and letting her go.

Kate nodded but couldn't hide the concern shinning in her eyes. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. The sooner you do it, the better."

A smirk twisted his lips as he cupped her face with his free hand. "Thank you. Pick you up for lunch?"

"Sure." She rose on her tippy toes and kissed him soundly on the lips, taking his hand from her face and tugging him towards the door. "Now, let's go. I'm late!"

* * *

Beckett spent part of her morning briefing Gates about the case, while the boys went to the school to interview the teachers, and anybody working there, who may have seen Alyssa before she was murdered. They arrived at noon with a couple of useful testimonies.

"John Peterson, history teacher, remembers seeing the victim outside the school several times. He says he noticed her because '_she was quite a beautiful woman and far too young to have a kid in High School._'" Esposito parroted as he read his notes from a little black pad. "The guy gave me the creeps." He said with a shiver.

Ryan laughed and nodded. "Yeah, man. He was weird…"

"Anything else?" Beckett asked a little disappointed.

"Yes." Ryan answered, searching in his own pad. "I talked to Maria Rodriguez, the Spanish teacher. She saw Alyssa a couple of times inside the building, wandering around the corridors. She talked about it to the Director, because she thought it wasn't safe for the students having people who didn't work there roaming around. That was a couple of months ago. She never saw her again."

Kate pursed her lips and squinted. "Ok. It's not much, but at least we know she had something to do with the school. She wasn't just killed there; she was there for a reason. Now we have to find out what that reason was."

The moment she finished that sentence, the elevator dinged and she looked up, meeting Castle's eyes as he walked out of it.

None of them could fight or hide the smile that appeared on their faces the moment their eyes met, and the mocking from Ryan and Esposito didn't take long to make its appearance.

"Ooh! We should vanish, bro. Mom and dad need some time _alone_." Esposito blurted.

Ryan laughed. "Yeah, I wouldn't like to be here when things get _dirty_…"

Beckett gave them one of her killer glares and stood up to greet Castle with a kiss on his cheek. (They tried to keep their PDA to a minimum when they were at the precinct).

"Hey. How did it go?" Kate asked, taking her coat after letting the boys know they were going out for lunch.

Castle shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Robbie says it's just a regular custody procedure. The important thing is the DNA test that we need to do as soon as possible. He's talking to a friend to see if we could do it this week."

Kate's brows jumped high on her forehead. "Oh, great!" She still didn't know why, but all this was making her extremely apprehensive.

* * *

The walk to Remy's was mostly silent. They walked hand in hand, both immerse in their own thoughts. When they arrived at their favorite spot, they took a booth and waited for the waiter to take their order.

"So, you take the DNA test and if it's negative, that's it? You don't have to do anything else?" Kate asked intrigued. She still wasn't very sure that Alyssa Willick was telling the truth.

Castle shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." He said, turning a page of the menu. "The fun starts if the test comes out positive. I would have to apply for the custody of the boy. The court would make me go through different tests and interviews to see if I'd be a good father, if I could grant a good and safe environment for the minor… All that."

Kate could only nod. What did they mean, a good and safe environment? Would he have to leave the precinct? What if that boy _was_ his son? Would it mean the end of them as a team?

"Ain't it crazy that I'd have to go through all that if the boy is mine? I mean, I'd be his father, why would they make me go through all that? I have Alexis to proof I'm not that bad." He joked.

Kate smiled. "You're a great dad, Rick. No matter what a judge may think."

Right that moment his phone started ringing and the waitress arrived at their table. Rick picked up his phone and Kate ordered their lunch while he talked. It was a good thing they always ordered the same.

Castle hung up with a shy smile on his face. "It was Robbie."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"The boy's at Saint Joseph's Home for Children. I… Would you come with me to see him?" He asked, avoiding her eyes.

"Castle." She scolded. "You don't even know if he's yours yet! Why do you want to do this?"

"I need to see him, Kate. Please!" He asked, his puppy dog eyes making her melt.

She let out a loud sigh and shook her head. "Ok! But stop that! You can't use that look on me again for at least a month. Got it?"

Castle's face lit up with one of his million-watts-smile and nodded. "Yes ma'am." He said, reaching for her hand. "Thank you."

* * *

After finishing their lunch Kate called the boys to tell them she was going to be late and they headed to the Children home to see little Aidan.

A young man received them and guided to a small room with a little coffee table covered with comics and magazines and a couple of armchairs. The place was kind of cold, no pictures or any kind of posters on the walls, no plants… It was as if they didn't want to make it a comfortable place to stay.

After waiting for long ten minutes, the man returned to the room with a dark haired little boy with the brightest and most beautiful blue eyes Kate had ever seen. Just like those she was used getting lost in.

"Wow! Would you look at that?" Castle whispered. "He's just like me when I was a kid!"

Kate nodded her head slowly, smiling at the shy little form hiding behind the man's shoulder. "Yes. He's like a miniature Castle!"

Rick walked towards the man and offered his arms to the boy. "Hey, little man! Wanna hang out with me for a little while?"

The moment the boy put his eyes on him he nodded and threw himself into Rick's arms, smiling and hugging him hard. "You taking me home to see mommy?"

Kate could see Castle's heart breaking at those words. Her own wasn't doing much better.

"Sorry, pal. We can't go see mommy…" And he ran out of words. How could he explain to a three year old that his mom was dead and he was not going to see her again?

TBC

* * *

**A/N:** So, here's where we leave it today. What do you think? Don't you want to meet little Aidan? I imagine him and I'm like awwwwww! lol

Let me know your thoughts and anything you want to share or suggest. Thanks for reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** New chapter, people! I've had a blast writing this one. In fact I'm kind of fond of this story already. I had never written anything overly 'family' related, and I'm loving how the things are evolving in that aspect.

Thanks a lot for the reviews and the favorite and story alerts. I love the sound my phone makes whenever I get an email from FFnet. I think I'm starting to develop a Pavlovian response to it... lol.

A huge THANK YOU! To my lovely beta, CastleWriter16. She's just great, just so you know :)

And now, I leave you with the chapter, which is why you're all here... :P Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

They had been there for about an hour, and Kate just couldn't take her eyes from the two very-much-alike boys. The grown up was absolutely smitten with the little one, who was now riding the writer's back as if he was some kind of ungainly horse, and yelling "Go, Rick, go!" laughing very hard.

Beckett was amazed at how much the little guy resembled his father – _Ok, no. Scratch that. _- She was amazed at how much _Aidan_ resembled _Castle_.

The kid was pure energy; running around the room, playing with Rick and laughing the same way the older man did; that way in which their eyes almost disappeared when the smile grew too wide on their faces. God, they were so cute!

Kate was trying to stay out of it, let Castle have his time with the boy, but the little guy seemed to like her, and he ran to her every now and then, using her as a shelter from Castle's 'tickle tortures'.

After a couple of laps around the room, Rick put the boy down and started chasing him, yelling, "Now I'm a lion and I'm gonna eat you up!" in a funny voice.

The kid ran and hid behind the armchair where Kate was sitting. Suddenly, she felt something tugging on her sleeve. "You play!" Aidan ordered. "Run!"

Beckett just smiled at him and shook her head, but right then, Castle circled her waist with his arm and spoke in her ear. "Come on, Kate! Play with us."

So, she joined the game, chasing them around the tiny, cold room, until the man that had received them before came back and told them it was time to leave.

"Come on, Aidan. It's time to go back to your room." The man said, offering his hand to the little boy.

The kid, who was now hanging upside down on Castle's arm, shook his head and pouted, his lower lip trembling, announcing the upcoming tears. "No!" He yelled while the writer put him back down on the floor.

"Come on, kid! These people have to leave." The man tried again.

"I don't wanna. I want to stay with Rick and Katie." The boy said, his voice a little shaken. Then he turned to Rick, putting on his most adorable face. "Do you have to leave?"

Kate could see Castle's heart breaking once again, when he had to nod and tell the boy that they had to go. "I'm sorry, Aidan. We really have to, but we will come back to see you again, ok?"

Now, both Castle and the kid were showing the same sad face that made Kate's heart sink deep down. The same droopy eyes, the same little pout… If Castle wasn't the kid's father, he surely had a lost twin brother out there.

After a teary good bye, they left the center with promises of coming back soon. She could tell Castle was absolutely in love with the boy.

"Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?" He said when they got into the car. "I mean, come on; I don't even need the DNA tests to know he's mine. You only have to look at him."

Kate couldn't agree more on that one. The boy was a photocopy of Castle, a chubby, little one. But still, she couldn't tell him that. "Castle!" She scolded him. "You promised to do this right."

"Relax, Kate. It's mandatory, I can't avoid it." He said, through amused narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, well. Let's be thankful for that." She said a little annoyed. He was scaring her more and more with this sudden interest for a kid he wasn't sure was his yet.

Castle gave her a hurtful look but didn't say anything. He could tell the situation was a little too much for her, and he was willing to let her deal with it her own way. He still had a couple of details to reveal to her, and making her mad before doing it was _not_ a good idea.

* * *

When they arrived at the precinct, detective Esposito followed Beckett to her desk, while Castle went directly to the break room to make some coffee for both of them.

Beckett was taking off her coat when the other detective sat on Castle's chair and gave her an accusing look.

"Where the hell have you been? Gate's been asking for you two for over an hour!" He told her completely annoyed. "Ryan was so scared she might find out you were playing hooky, that I had to make him some linden tea. I swear, that guy's going to have a heart attack before he turns 35!"

Beckett tried to hide the laugh about Espo's last comment. "Hey! Don't look at me. Blame the 'Father of the year' there." She said, pointedly looking in the direction of the break room.

"Hm. How did he take the news?"

Kate took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Extremely well."

Esposito studied her for a minute. "And you're not ok with that?"

"No. Yes! I mean, I'm good if he's good." She rubbed her face with her hands, closing them against her mouth. "How am I supposed to take it? He's acting like a kid on Christmas morning, and all I can think about is how things are going to change if that boy is really his…" She looked back at her friend. "Am I a terrible girlfriend?" She asked, arching her eyebrow.

The man laughed a little and then shook his head. "No. You're just being Beckett." He said with a grin. "And he's just being Castle." He added, getting up from the seat to let the writer take his place by her side.

"What about me?" Rick asked, handing Beckett her NYPD mug.

Kate waved her hand "Oh, nothing. I was just telling Espo that it's your fault we're late."

"Oh, jeez! Thank you, dear." He replied with a sarcastic grin. "But she's right." He added, looking at the other man. "All my fault."

Ryan, who had just come back from his visit to the bathroom snorted and glared at him. "Yeah? Well, you better not do this again, man! I'm tired of saving your butts from Gates. That woman gives me nightmares!" He said, fighting a shiver.

"Relax, Honeymilk!" Espo mocked him. "Seriously, bro, you need to chill a bit."

They were all laughing when an officer cleared his throat interrupting them.

Beckett leaned to her side to look at the man standing behind Castle. "Yes, officer?"

"There's a boy asking for detectives Ryan and Esposito. He says he has information about the High School murder." The uniform said.

Kate looked at her boys and then turned again to the uniform. "Ok, tell him to come up."

"We've scheduled an interview with the victim's best friend for 3pm. That's in ten minutes." Ryan said, looking at his watch.

Taking a quick sip of her coffee, Beckett stood up and signaled for Castle to follow her. "That's ok. We'll take the boy. You can wait for Alyssa's friend."

* * *

The boy turned out to be Michael Dalton, the star of the basketball team. He told them that he had seen the victim hanging out with the Coach more than once. She usually met him after the games and they left together in his car, which he found a little weird, because the Coach was a married man with three kids.

"Well, this leaves us with a possible cheating husband, trying to cover up his infidelity." Castle theorized. "Maybe she threatened to tell his wife and so he killed her."

Beckett looked at him very amused. "Castle, we don't even know if they were having an affair." She said, rolling her eyes. "But Mr. Milton has some explaining to do. He told Ryan and Esposito that he didn't know Alyssa. He's clearly hiding something."

That same moment the two detectives came out of the break room with Alyssa's friend, Carla Santino. The woman was crying and Ryan was holding her hand, trying to reassure her.

Castle got up from his chair and started walking towards them, when Beckett stopped him in his tracks. "Where do you think you're going?" She asked, tightening her grip on his wrist.

"I… I just…" He said, pointing to the boys and the girl with his free hand. "I just want to talk to her about Aidan. She's his mother's best friend, she has to know something."

Beckett bit on her lower lip and frowned. "Castle, I don't think that's a good idea. We're working the case right now, and I don't think it'll do any good if we mix it with the personal stuff. I think you should wait until we solve this."

"But it's already personal, Beckett! I need to talk to her."

"Castle, please. As far as we know she could be the killer. Do you really want to compromise a police investigation just to ask her about your possible son's mother?" Kate asked, her green eyes piercing his blue ones.

The writer nodded and sat in his chair again.

A few minutes later, while Kate was talking to the boys at their desks, he took a look at the report and wrote down Carla's phone number on a piece of paper. He knew his girlfriend was not going to appreciate that, but his curiosity always made him do stupid things.

* * *

The time to go home came, and the two partners left the precinct and headed to Castle's loft. He had to break the news to his mother and daughter, and Beckett could tell he was seriously scared.

When they arrived, Rick opened the door to find his mother coming down the stairs. She was heading to the closet by the door to grab her coat and purse.

"Good evening, mother. You leaving?" He asked, surprised.

"Hello, darlings." She replied, putting on her coat. "Yes. I'm meeting a couple of colleagues for a drink. Alexis is going out too, so you'll have the loft to yourselves." She added, wiggling her eyebrows.

Kate couldn't suppress a laugh at that.

"Actually, could that wait? I need to talk to you two." He said, looking to Kate for support.

Martha followed the exchange, and suddenly she covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes grew wide and big. "Oh, my God. You're pregnant!"

It took Kate a couple of seconds to process those words, but when she did, her face contorted into a grimace and she shook her head strongly. "Wait, what? NO! Why…"

Castle was laughing hysterically at Kate's reaction. "No, mother, she's not pregnant. I'm going to call Alexis; you two wait for us in the living room. You may want to have a drink, mother." He said wincing. "Actually, I think you should have one."

* * *

After a few minutes, Rick came down with Alexis by his side and made the three women sit on the couch. He was really nervous, and that only made his mother and daughter even more worried.

"Dad, what is it?" Alexis asked, concerned. "You're scaring me."

He looked up and found Kate's eyes. She gave him a nod and a soft smile and he felt himself become stronger. Having her there with him gave him more confidence. She made things like this easier.

"Ok. So, we're investigating the death of a woman. She was killed last Sunday at Hamilton High School…"

Kate raised her eyebrows impatiently, letting him know those were meaningless details.

"I had the feeling I knew her, but I couldn't remember from what exactly. The day after we found the body, the woman's lawyer came to the precinct looking for me. Apparently I was in her testament."

"What?" Alexis interrupted. "Why would you be in her testament when you couldn't even remember her?"

Castle looked at his daughter through narrowed eyes and snorted. "I'm getting there!"

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Well, could you please get there faster? I have a date in twenty minutes."

"A date? You didn't tell me you had a date!" He said, giving the redhead a hurt look.

"Dad!"

"Castle, come on!" Kate intervened.

The writer covered his face with his hands, taking a couple of seconds to collect his thoughts and put the story together. "So, the thing is, according to that woman's testament, I'm the biological father to her three year old son." He stopped to catch his breath and wait for reactions. Both women were petrified.

Martha was the first to break the silence. "Oh my God, Richard! This is… Oh my God." She repeated reaching for her glass. She really needed that drink.

"Alexis?" He asked worriedly. His daughter was looking at the floor. If it weren't for the fact that he could see her back moving, he would think she wasn't breathing.

The girl moved her head up slowly, meeting her father's eyes. "I can't believe this, dad. Again?"

Castle was surprised with that question. "What do you mean, again?"

"I mean you already made a mistake once. You got my mother pregnant because you were irresponsible, and now you've found out that you didn't learn anything from that." She yelled. "Another mistake. Another accident."

"Alexis, you may have been an accident, but NEVER, EVER a mistake. You understand?" Castle said, lifting his daughter's chin with his hand, making her look at him in the eyes. "Ever."

The redhead nodded, but her eyes were hard on him. "Anyway, will you ever have a child with someone you actually love?" She said, glancing at Kate when she spoke the last word.

The cop blushed deeply and pursed her lips at that. Not the best time to talk about having kids.

Martha put her glass down again. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You were a humming bird four years ago. I was kind of expecting something like this to happen. I have to say I'm glad you've found out this way and not through the tabloids..."

Rick narrowed his eyes at his mother and stole her glass to take a sip of scotch. "Yeah, well. There's something more I have to tell you."

Kate frowned. For what she knew, there was not much more to say.

"I talked to my lawyer this morning. I will have to go through a series of formalities until we know if the boy is mine or not. It breaks my heart to know he will have to spend all that time at a Children's Home after losing his mom, so… I told Robbie to ask the court if I could foster him until the process is over." He raised his head to look at the three women in front of him. Not a good view.

Alexis was shaking her head, but she didn't seem very mad. His mother was just shrugging and nodding ridiculously, and Kate… Oh, she was pissed, just as he expected.

TBC

* * *

**Please, I beg you, let me know what you think. Come on; you know you want to! *pouts***


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello everyone! Sorry it took a little longer than usual to update. Real life happens sometimes and we have to give it some priority :)

I want to thank all of you for the great reception you're giving to this story. I'm surprised you're liking it so much, but it also makes me very happy. Thank you for all the reviews, story alerts and favorite alerts. Each new message makes my day.

I also wanted to thank my beta, CastleWriter16, who read this and made the greatest corrections for me, even being sick! A big hug for you, girl. Get well soon!

An now, to the story. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think! ;)

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The bomb had been dropped and all he could do now was wait and stare at the three women sitting on the couch in front of him. He wished they would say something; anything was better than the deafening silence that filled the room.

Alexis was the first to say something. She stood up and grabbed her purse off of the floor, where it had been resting against her legs.

"Ok. Now I'm going to leave, because Paul is waiting for me and I'm already terribly late." The girl said looking at him. "I don't know what you expect me to say, Dad. This is absolutely crazy!"

Martha got up after her granddaughter, shaking her head and putting on her coat. "I'm not going to say anything, son. I need to sleep on it first, and I'm late too so, _arrivederci_, darling." She said, walking to where Alexis was. When both redheads reached the door, the older one turned around and winked at the shocked detective. "See you tomorrow, Kate."

"In fact…" Beckett said standing up. "I think I'm going to leave too."

Martha and Alexis froze at the door, both looking at the man of the house, who was now running his fingers through his hair nervously.

He reached for the detective's hand to stop her. "Kate, please! Not you." He begged. "Don't leave. Let me explain."

The other two women took that opportunity to leave, closing the door soundlessly behind them.

She arched an eyebrow and laughed. "Explain what? It's clear that you don't care about my opinion, Castle. Not mine, nor Alexis' or Martha's."

"Of course I care! How can you say that?" He asked, clearly hurt. "You're my family, your opinion is all that matters."

Kate blinked, surprised at him referring to her as family, but she pushed down the warm feeling creeping in her chest and looked back at him furiously. "Oh, really? And don't you think we would have liked to know you were thinking about bringing a three year old boy to live here?" She began pacing in front of him, unable to content the raging energy running through her veins. "And that's not even the problem. The _problem_ is that you promised, Rick. You promised me that you were going to do this right, and now…" She met his eyes again. "Why didn't you tell me before you did anything? Don't you trust me?"

He tried to step closer, but she was still pacing incessantly. "Kate, I trust you with my life and you know it. I don't know what I was thinking… I hadn't even thought about doing something like that, but when Robbie said that the boy would have to be there until everything was over and that it could take around two months…" She had stopped walking and was now standing in front of him. He took her hand in his. "I only could think about that little boy in a place he didn't know, with people he didn't know, with no one to tuck him in at night, or tell him stories, or give him kisses…" He felt Kate squeezing his hand. "I just couldn't leave him there."

"You have a huge heart, Rick, and that's one of the things I love most about you." Kate said, stroking his cheek with her free hand. "But, what if he's not your son?" She asked softly.

Castle grinned and quirked an eyebrow, "Have you looked at that kid?"

The detective removed her hand from his and sat on the couch again. "Yes, I have. But, what if he's not yours? What happens then?"

Rick remained silent for a long while and she sighed loudly. "You didn't think about that, did you? Or about all the things you'll have to stop doing to take care of him or how this is going to affect everyone around you."

Castle shook his head and took a deep breath. "No, I didn't think about any of those things. I only thought about a little boy feeling alone and terrified. How is that so bad, Kate?"

"I never said it was bad, Castle." She said, her left hand landing on his knee. "I'm just saying that this is not like taking care of Royal." A tiny smile appeared on the writer's face at the mention of the dog. "You're offering to take care of a child. That boy's been through enough already, Rick. What's gonna happen to him if he's not your son?" Kate asked. "What if he gets attached to you? It would break his heart all over again if he has to leave."

Rick's face darkened. "I know. And I know I should have talked to you guys before doing anything, but I really feel that I need to do this. And after meeting him today… How can I say no?"

Kate took a moment to think. As much as she wanted to be supportive and understanding, she was still shocked about the 'news'. Having a young child around would change things a lot between them. And also, where did she fit in that equation? What was she to that boy? Was she supposed to stay away and let the two of them bond? Was she supposed to be like a friend to him? A mom? That made her shiver slightly.

She had too many questions that she didn't know how to ask, and she was sure that he didn't know how to answer to them either.

They had only been together for a couple of months and something like this was too big. It was like finding out she was pregnant and having to decide what to do next. However, if that were the case, she wouldn't have so many doubts, would she?

"You're right. How can you say no now?" She agreed, squeezing his leg a little. But that didn't take away the doubts, the fear.

Castle smiled at her and circled her shoulders with his arm, bringing her closer to him and kissing the top of her head. "Thank you." He said, almost whispering. "Now I only have to talk the other two thirds of my women into it." He added with a grin.

Kate snorted and placed a kiss on his neck. "Good luck with that."

He leaned back to look at her with a frown. "Wow, thank you, Kate. You're the best." He laughed. Then, taking his arm from around her, he searched in his pocket and took out a piece of paper. "I… I want to do things right." He said, his eyes fixated on the paper. "I took Alyssa's friend's phone number from your report before. I was planning on calling her. Not anymore." He paused to look at her and he could see the disappointment in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Kate took the small piece of paper from his hand, scrunched it and threw it away, the little ball landing behind one of the armchairs flanking his study's door. "That was a bad move, Rick, but I'm glad you've changed your mind." She shrugged and smiled. "Thanks for telling me the truth."

The writer smiled back and leaned in to kiss her sweetly. When they both had to break apart to get some air, he stood up, pulling her with him. "Ok. Now let's order in and relax. It's been a looooong day."

* * *

Kate woke up to the strident sound of her phone's alarm. She didn't know how it had happened (ok, she did…), but they had traded bedsides during the night, and her phone was now at the other side of the bed. She stretched her arm trying to reach for it, but it was still too far. She used her left arm to raise her body up and stretched the other again. She could almost touch it, but it was still out of her reach. When she tried to move a little bit forward, the hand she was using to support herself slid, making her fall full force over Castle's chest. The writer, who was already used to her alarm, was still asleep when she fell and woke up with a scream; half pain, half fright.

"Jesus, Kate! What the hell?" Castle yelled, trying to sit up in bed, his hand over his racing heart. "What was that?"

The detective was trying to hold a nervous laugh, her eyes avoiding his. "I'm sorry. You did that stupid maneuver of yours last night to get my side of the bed and I couldn't reach my phone to turn the alarm off." She explained. He had it coming for stealing her side.

"First of all, we agreed we could keep our sides in our respective beds. This is _my_ bed, so it's _my_ side, not yours." He said, giving her a piercing stare. "And second of all, are you sure that was an accident?" His question came out in a funny voice, making her laugh.

"Of course it was an accident!" She said rubbing her hand over the red spot she had left on his chest. "And Castle?" She turned his face to hers with her index finger. "Someday, in the near future, you'll ask me to move in here, and then, Writerboy, _that_ will be _my_ side." With that she got up and disappeared through the bathroom door.

Rick was smirking to himself when his phone rang, bringing him back to reality. "Castle."

"Hey, Rick. It's Robbie. Good morning, man!" The lawyer greeted him.

"Hey Robbie! What do you have for me?"

"My friend at the lab called me last night. Could you pass by today to provide your sample? I'm calling to the children's home to let them know what to do."

Castle opened his eyes wide and exhaled loudly. "Yeah, sure. I can do it."

"Wonderful! I'll email you the address later, ok?" Robbie said. "Oh, and Rick? The hearing for the temporary custody will be tomorrow morning. Are you sure you want to do this?" His friend asked.

"Yes. I'm sure." He answered, looking at the bathroom door. "I'll be there. Thanks Robbie. Talk to you later."

After he hung up, Castle got out of the bed and put on a shirt and boxers. He headed to the kitchen to start the coffee machine so it was ready for when Kate came out of the shower. When he came out of the study's door he spotted Alexis sitting at the kitchen bar, taking a look at the paper.

"Hey Pumpkin! Good morning." He said with a smile. "Did you have a good time last night?"

The redhead looked up from her paper and put it on the counter crossing her arms over it. "Don't think that the nice talk is going to save you, Dad. You have some explaining to do."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm not trying to avoid it." The writer said, covering the distance between them and pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to any of you about it. I just made a quick decision in the heat of the moment."

Alexis shook her head. "You really need to start using your head, Dad. A secret son? Really?" She asked, annoyed. "Have you seen him?"

Castle nodded with a grin. "He's _so_ cute, Alexis. He's got dark hair, but he looks a lot like you when you were that age. Same wakeful blue eyes. You're gonna love him."

"Have you thought what's going to happen if he… Well you know, maybe that woman lied." The girl said, trying not to crush her father's hopes. She could tell he was excited about being a daddy again.

He shook his head. "Not really. Kate asked me the same last night… Come on, Pumpkin! You've always wanted a younger sibling."

Alexis laughed. "Yeah, and that would have been great five or six years ago, Dad. I'm in college now, and even though I'm staying home this year, I won't have time to play or take care of him."

"I know. It's not like I planned this, you know?" Castle said, feeling a little down. "This has been a big surprise for me too, but I'm trying to look at the bright side."

Martha came down the stairs wearing another one of her colorful outfits. "And have you thought about Kate?" She asked, kissing Alexis good morning and turning on the coffee maker.

"What about Kate?" Rick asked, feeling confused. "I talked to her last night, she's ok with it."

"Well she doesn't have a choice, does she? If that boy turns out to be your son, she will have to deal with it if she wants to be with you. But it will be hard for her. A little boy is not the same as a teenage daughter, Richard. He will need you here all the time; you won't be able to run after killers with her anymore and everything will begin to revolve around him. That's not exactly the best way to start a relationship." The actress let out her speech, holding his hand the whole time. "And where does she fit in there? I mean, she's your girlfriend, but she doesn't have her role defined as we do. You're the dad, Alexis is the sister and I'm the grandmother. But, what is she, Richard? Because I hope you're not expecting her to become a mother just like that."

Castle stared at his mother, completely astonished. He hadn't thought about that. He hadn't thought about anything, really.

This is what happened when his impulsive mind made decisions for him. He only looked at the good things. The fun parts, the happy parts, but then, the stupid bad sides of everything came back to bite him in the ass.

TBC.

* * *

**That's all for now. Love it? Hate it? You don't know? Whatever it is, let me know! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hello my babies! I am SO SORRY for the incredibly long delay of this chapter. My life has been crazy the last couple of weeks and I didn't have the time or was in the mood to write. Also, I turned 30 last week… (I know this may sound weird, but I'm kind of depressed…) I can't believe time passed so fast! I want my twenties back!

Anyway, I hope you guys forgive me and keep reading this. I promise it won't take me so long to update again. (At least I hope so. *fingers crossed*)

Thanks to my great beta CastleWriter16, as always you did a wonderful job. (She's an awesome writer, go check her work!).

Also, I want to thank you all for the reviews, story alerts and favs. Always glad to read what you have to say about this, so keep going! ;)

* * *

**Chapter 5**

A little shocked at his mother's words, Castle still managed to go on with his morning routine. He prepared their coffees, took a shower after Kate was out of the bathroom and got ready for the day, and in less than an hour they were walking out the door discussing the day they had ahead.

"Robbie called. He said I should go by the lab today to provide a sample for the DNA tests. They're calling Aidan in tomorrow." Castle said, his eyes avoiding hers.

Kate nodded, still trying to find her keys while they waited for the elevator to arrive. "Ok. Will you come to the 12th after that? We could use some help on this one. We're bringing the coach in this morning for an interview."

The lift dinged and they walked inside brushing sides as they leaned into the back wall.

"Yes. I'll come by as soon as I'm done there. We could have lunch out today, what do you say?" He asked, giving her an expectant grin.

Beckett stopped playing with her keys and smiled back at him. "Sure. That'd be great."

* * *

She had dropped Castle at 'Spiral Labs' ten minutes ago, but instead of driving directly to the precinct, the cop made a 'technical stop' at the morgue.

It had been a few days since they found out about Aidan and she hadn't had time to talk to Lanie about it. She needed her friend. She needed someone to talk to who would call her out of her stupidity if needed. Yeah, she needed Lanie Parish and her unfiltered mouth.

When she walked inside the OR, her friend was cutting one open. The way MEs worked on bodies had always amazed her - fast and steady as if they were dissecting a giant frog instead of a human being.

"Hey, Lanie." She said, sitting on the chair by the microscope table. "Do you have a sec?"

The doctor looked up from her 'patient' and smiled. "Sure. I don't think my friend here is in a rush." She said, putting the scalpel down and taking off her gloves. "What is it, girl? You look like you're about to show me your stomach contents."

The little joke made Kate laugh and relax a little bit. She was sure Lanie knew about Carlson's visit to the precinct and the news he had delivered, but she hadn't told the boys anything else about it, so the information ring had been cut and Lanie was clueless about Aidan and what he implied.

"Did Espo tell you about Castle's… about his…"

"About Writerboy's possible son? Yeah, he told me. You know Javi; he has such a big mouth. He called me the moment the lawyer left." The ME said, putting her hand on Kate's shoulder. "Is everything ok?"

The detective took a deep breath and nodded, stopping in the middle of it and then shaking her head. "I don't know."

Lanie frowned and took the chair right beside Kate's. "Ok, spill. What's going on with Mr. Can't-keep-his-fly-zipped and his newfound offspring?"

Kate winced at that, not knowing if she should laugh or cry. "He's so excited, Lanie! I mean, that's not bad, right? But I would have expected him to be a little more worried, surprised, angry, I don't know… He's just delighted with the idea of a new kid."

"And you're not that delighted, are you?" The ME asked, stroking her friend's arm. "A teen in college is not the same as a three year old. It's scary, huh?"

"Scary? It's terrifying! I love kids, but this… Where do I fit now? I am not a mother, Lanie. I can't be. Not now." The detective said, almost in a whisper. "I don't know how to deal with this, and I can't tell him that because, if that boy is his son… God, I love him and I want to be with him, but this changes everything. Our plans, our freedom… All gone."

Lanie stood up and squatted in front of the detective. "Kate, relax! You don't even know if the munchkin's his!"

Kate let out a soft laugh and shook her head slowly. "You still don't know the worst."

Lanie's eyebrows jumped on her forehead. "What's the worst?"

"He's fostering the kid until everything is cleared. Well, he's just requested it, but let's be real, no judge is going to keep a kid at a children's home when he can be with a family. So, basically, after the hearing tomorrow we'll be, more than likely, coming home with a new little tenant."

"Wow!" The ME exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting that." She said, running her hand through her hair and standing up again. "Well, even though he does that, it doesn't mean he's going to keep the boy if he's not his, right?"

Kate sighed. "I'm not that sure… He's only seen him once and he's already attached."

"Wait, he's seen the boy? Why would you let him do that?" Lanie asked surprised.

Kate was a little surprised Esposito hadn't told Lanie about their visit to the children's home. "What was I supposed to do? Handcuff him to my desk? He wanted to see him and I took him."

Lanie's eyes were wide now. "So you've seen him too?"

The detective nodded shyly. "Yeah."

The ME rolled her eyes at the imprecise answer. "And?"

"And he's his son. Either that or Castle has a twin brother running around New York City getting women pregnant."

Lanie laughed and bit her lip. "So much, huh?"

"As one drop of water to another. He can't not be his son." Kate said resigned.

"Honey, you need to talk to him about all this. He needs to know how you feel about all that's happening." Lanie said, taking Kate's hand. "You can't go on with this and bring that child home, share your life with him and then find out you're not ready and leave. That wouldn't be fair."

"I know, Lanie. Why do you think I'm so scared? But, how do I tell him? I know Rick, and if I tell him I'm not ready for this he's going to freak out."

Lanie nodded, knowing her friend was right. "Well, you better find a way before things get all messed up."

* * *

Castle was waiting in the same cold room he had waited the day before to see his son. (Yes, he was pretty sure that boy was his own blood). He had left the labs almost half an hour ago, but after having the inside of his mouth rubbed with a huge cotton swab, he had felt the need to go see the boy.

His mother's words had made him think about how things with Kate could change because of the new family member, and although it had scared him to death, he couldn't deny how excited he was about having a son. Alexis had grown up too fast and she was practically never home. It'd just be so nice having another child running around the loft…

The same man as the day before walked in with Aidan in his arms. The boy was crying, hitting the guy's shoulders with his tiny fists.

"Let me down! I don't want to!" Aidan screamed. "I want my mommy!"

Castle's heart shrank in his chest. "Hey, buddy!" He said, poking the boy's back. "What's wrong?"

Aidan turned his head around and his eyes grew wide when he saw Castle. The little boy's arms were around the writer's neck in a second, holding him tight. "Rick!"

Castle held Aidan close, hugging him and rubbing his back trying to calm the kid down. "Yeah, pal, it's me. Why are you crying?" He asked, giving a killer glare to the man who was already leaving the room.

"He's mean! I wanted to play with Martin and his cars and he took me away!" The boy said, his face all red from crying. "You taking me with mommy today?" He said, the sentence cut by a strangled sob.

Castle flinched. "Um… Sorry, Aidan, but… no." He couldn't say another word.

The kid pushed on Castle's shoulders to remove himself from the writer's embrace and look at him. "Why?"

"Well, we can't go see her, cause… She's… She's gone, pal."

Aidan's expression didn't change. "Why?"

"I… I don't know. But I can promise you that I'll find out."

* * *

Kate was going through the transcripts of the coach's interview. He had denied knowing Alyssa, but had to rectify after they showed him a picture of them leaving the school together. That Dalton kid had turned out to be very useful.

After seeing the photos, the coach admitted he was having an affair with the victim, but he swore he didn't kill her because that day he was visiting his mother at the nursing home. He went there every Sunday after church and spent the day with her. Ryan and Esposito were checking on it.

The elevator doors opened, and, as always when he wasn't around, Kate raised her eyes from her desk to see if it was Castle. Her lips curled into a smile when she saw his face emerging from the steel box. Her smile faded when she noticed his dark expression. Something was wrong.

Kate's first impulse was to run to him and ask him what was going on, but they were at the precinct and she couldn't do that without having Gates all over her. So she waited until he took his place on his chair and searched for her eyes with his.

"Hey. What's up?" She asked, reaching for his hand.

Castle pursed his lips and exhaled. "I went to the children's home."

Kate's stopped stroking hid knuckles and sighed. "Oh, Castle!" She shifted towards him, now holding his hand in both of hers. "What happened?"

"He's so sad, Kate. He wants his mommy and I don't know how to tell him that he's never going to see her again. How do you do that? Break a kid's heart for his own good?" He asked, his eyes filling up with unshed tears.

Kate bit her lip and squeezed his hand. "I don't know, babe. I have no idea."

Right that second Gates walked out of her office and caught the couple holding hands and whispering soft words of comfort.

"Mhmm." The captain coughed. "I hope this kind of PDA during work hours is instrumental to solving the case, Detective."

She and Castle let go of each other's hands and mumbled low 'sorries' to the woman. Kate was blushing a deep shade of red and the writer couldn't hide the grin that appeared in his face.

"Cut it out, Castle. This is not funny!" Kate said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, it is! Seeing Kate Beckett blushing is an event all by itself." He joked.

The detective gave him one of her looks and shook her head in annoyance. "You didn't tell me how it went at the lab. When will you know something?" She asked.

Castle shrugged. "The doctor told me they would call me in about a week. Ten days tops."

"Wow, that's soon!" Kate exclaimed. "And… Is it… You know, completely reliable?"

The writer laughed at that question. "Kate, you use DNA tests to catch killers; I think we can trust it's a reliable thing."

"Yeah…" She sighed.

Castle noticed her tone, and all the worries he had been pushing down all day came back full force.

"Maybe… I think we should talk about this." He said in a rush. "I know it must be scary for you."

_You have no idea…_ Kate thought. "Yeah, we should talk, but later, ok? We need to solve this case first."

* * *

**Sorry it's short! I have no time to write :(**

**You can love it, you can hate it or you can do something in between. Either way let me know! (You even have a new fancy button now!) :P**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Hey kids! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend! :)

Here's the next chapter. It's taken a while, but at least I'm updating twice in a week, which is a big improvement :P

I want to thank you guys for all the great reviews (they make me smile every single time) and for all the story alerts and favorite alerts. I can say that I have the best readers ever :)

Thanks to my beta, Miss 'CastleWriter16', who is such a big help. My grammar is horrible, so she has a lot of work to do, and she always gives me the best ideas and suggestions on her edits (not counting the notes she adds here and there just to make me laugh). You're the best! XOXO

And after this LOOOONG note (I'm thinking about turning them into actual chapters) I leave you with the story. Enjoy! :D

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Lunchtime came soon, and as they had planned that morning, they left the precinct and walked hand in hand to their favorite diner. They made their way in silence, engrossed in their own thoughts, unaware that they were both thinking about the same little boy.

After waiting for fifteen minutes to get a booth (it was noon and the place was packed) they sat comfortably and read the menu until their waitress came and took their orders.

Kate was quiet and Castle could tell she was anxious. She couldn't stop playing with her hands and biting her lower lip, and he was starting to feel sorry for that tender spot of her mouth he loved so much.

The food arrived and they both moaned at the first bite of their burgers.

"Mmmm. These are the best in the city." He mumbled, chewing the gigantic bite he had put into his mouth.

Kate laughed and swallowed, reaching to wipe a little drop of Ketchup from his chin. "You always say the same thing."

"Yeah, cause it's true! I can't wait to bring Aidan here. He'll love it." He said. Noticing the change on Kate's face, he put his burger down and clasped his hands. "You're not very excited about this, are you?" he asked.

"Lunch?" She asked, knowing perfectly well what he had meant.

"Kaaate!" He whined. "Don't play dumb with me! I'm talking about tomorrow's hearing. The whole Aidan thing."

The detective finished chewing her burger, exhaled and took a sip of her strawberry milkshake. "Oh, that… Um yeah, well… I just… I think you are a little bit too excited about it, maybe?" She let out awkwardly.

Castle's eyes widened and suddenly his expression became very serious. "What do you mean, 'too excited'?"

Kate lowered her head in an attempt to hide the nervousness growing inside her. This was going to be hard. "Castle… you're… I… I think that you're taking this a little too well. I mean, aren't you worried? Doesn't it scare you? Cause, I can tell you, Rick, it sure as hell scares _me._"

He just looked at her for a moment before blurting out, "Why? Why does it scare you so much?"

"Do you even have to ask? Have you thought about how things are going to change for you? For Martha and Alexis? For us? We both know you'll get the temporary custody tomorrow and then everything will be different. Our partnership will be over, and nights at my place? Gone. Long weekends in the Hamptons? Never happened, never will. That trip we were planning to New England? Just a dream... Everything will be gone, Castle." She said, her tone rising with each word she spoke.

So that was it. Kate Beckett and her inability to face change. He was tired of that.

"That's all that matters to you? How things won't revolve around you anymore? All you'll have to stop doing? How can you be so selfish?" He shot, regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

"WHAT? Oh, that's funny Castle, 'cause I think the only one being selfish here is you. You haven't stopped, for even a second, to think about how all this is going to affect to everyone around you. You just made up a fun, happy little story in your head and you've decided that, because you think it's a good idea, we all have to agree." She paused and took a sip of her milkshake, quickly continuing before he could say anything. "Well, let me tell you something, Castle; I love you, and I understand that if this boy is your son, you have to be there for him and I… I want to be there for you, but don't ask me to feel all happy and content about it. I have my worries, and yes, maybe they sound selfish to you, but that's how I feel, and I would rather tell you about it than start lying to you again." She looked at his speechless form for a moment, and then stood up, threw a twenty bill on the table and walked to the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me; I have a job I have to go back to." She saw him standing up to follow her, but she turned around, stopping him in his tracks. "Castle, I think you should go back to yours."

"I… Kate! Kate, wait!" He yelled, trying to make her stop before the door closed behind her. "Shit!"

* * *

Kate was restless. She was typing fast on her computer, but she didn't even know what the hell she was writing. Her legs were shaking underneath her desk, and she was sure that if she didn't stop chewing on her lip, she would draw blood from it.

She was mad, and scared, and frustrated and so very sorry for stepping out on him.

She knew she had a point, and his words - calling her selfish, to be exact - had hurt her deeply, but she couldn't help but feel she was running again. She didn't want to leave him alone on this. Even though she was scared, she knew he needed her there with him, supporting him and making things a little less heavy.

She was so engaged in her own thoughts, that she didn't hear the boys calling her name repeatedly.

"BECKETT!" Ryan and Espo yelled in unison.

The detective startled, jerking on her chair. "Whoa, guys! What was that for?"

Esposito laughed loudly while Ryan made a painful wince, expecting some kind of horrible torture from their boss. "Sorry. We called you like five times, but you were gone." The blue-eyed detective apologized.

Beckett frowned. "Oh. Sorry. What is it?" She asked, still a bit shaken.

"The Coach alibis out. We have like two dozens of grandmas and grandpas willing to testify he was there from 10 am to 3 pm that Sunday." Esposito said with a smirk.

"Also, we have Alyssa's cell phone. A student found it at the schoolyard covered in blood and gave it to a teacher. The blood belongs to the victim and we're still waiting for her phone records to arrive, to check if she called that number she had written on that piece of paper we found in her pocket." Ryan added.

When they got no response, the two detectives looked at Beckett in concern, realizing she had zoned out again.

Ryan moved closer and poked her arm. "Beckett? Everything ok?" he asked.

Kate blinked and looked back at the boys. "Um. What?"

Espo narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, fine. I'm good. Why?" She asked, giving them her best I'll-deny-everything-you-say look.

"Never mind." Ryan said. "We'll let you know when we get the phone records."

The two partners walked away to their desks sharing worried looks.

"The hell was that, man?" Espo asked. "She was fine when she left for lunch with Castle."

"Maybe they had a fight. Women get pretty emotional with that." Ryan said, taking his chair and turning on his computer.

Espo laughed and turned to look at him. "Women? You had a fight with Jenny last week and spent half of the morning talking to yourself and writing like thirty five drafts of a text message to apologize, man!" He said, shaking his head and going back to his work, still smirking.

* * *

Castle arrived home some time around 5:00 pm. After Kate left him at the diner, he'd spent hours wandering around Central Park like a ghost.

He couldn't get her hurt face out of his head. He knew he was going to regret those words as soon as he had said them, and yet he had been incapable of apologizing for them. He had just stood in there, listening to all the truths she had said, watching her walk away from him again.

Stupid. Stupid! He was so damn stupid!

When he walked inside the loft he found his mother running lines all by herself. The redhead turned to greet him when she heard the door locking, but she stopped midway when she saw his face.

"Richard? What happened? Are you alright?" The woman asked, her eyebrows knitting in the middle of her forehead.

Castle lowered his head and went straight to the whiskey decanter by the staircase.

"No, mother. I'm not alright." He replied on a bitter tone.

Martha sighed and handed her son her glass for him to fill it up again. "Kate?"

He just nodded, taking a sip from his glass. "Who else?"

The writer followed his mother to the living room, taking a seat on the couch right beside her.

"Ok son, you better start talking to your - I have to say it - gorgeous mother, before I start seeing our glassware flying around again." She said, taking her son's hand in hers and urging him to talk with a look.

Castle exhaled loudly and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "I messed up this entire thing with Aidan. She's scared, you were right, and all I've done is scare her even more and push her away."

"Why? What have you done?" The actress asked, now really concerned.

"She told me that she was scared and worried because our lives were about to change a lot. I called her selfish…"

"Oh, Richard! That mouth of yours…" Martha said. "What happened then?"

Castle let out a sad snort. "She said that I was the selfish one. That I'm doing all this without taking anyone else into account and that she understands that if Aidan is my son, I have to be there for him and she wants to be there for me, but she's scared and she wanted to be honest with me." He paused, his hand massaging his temple now. "Then she got up and left, told me to go back to my job."

"Hm. That's not good…" His mother said. "What did she say when you apologized?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

Rick's eyes moved from his mother to a very interesting spot in the carpet. "I… I didn't." He sighed.

"Richard Castle, you made such a huge mistake, calling your girlfriend such an awful thing and you don't apologize to her? That's not the man I raised."

"I know, mother. I know I should have apologized, and I will, but I think we both need some time to think about all this." He said, trying to convince himself he had done right by not following her to the precinct. "Am I being selfish, mother? Do you think I shouldn't do this too?"

Martha shook her head and smiled at him. "I don't think what you're doing is selfish at all, Richard. I think it's anything but that. You're giving that boy a home even though you don't know if he's yours yet, and no selfish person would ever do anything like that." She paused to squeeze his hand. "But you really need to understand that a couple of months ago you decided to share your life with Kate, and that means you HAVE to talk to her about these kind of things. Yes, the boy is _your_ son (if he really is), and this is _your_ home, but if you want to have a life with Kate, you need to share that part of it with her too. She needs to know that even though that boy is going to be here, even though your relationship won't be the same from now on, you count on her, you care about her opinion, you want her around."

Rick nodded heavily, his head feeling like a ton of bricks. "But what if it's not that? What if she doesn't want to have a kid around all the time? What if she gets tired of playing house and leaves? I don't want that to happen…"

"Richard, if you don't want that to happen, you better make up your mind soon and go talk to her. If she loves you, and I'm pretty sure se does, she'll stay; either you have a boy or a set of quintuplets."

With that, the woman stood up, took her glass from the coffee table and walked towards the staircase, turning around to give him a soft smile before climbing up to her room.

* * *

The hearing had been fast and easy. His lawyer had done all the talking, presenting all the papers the judge required and agreeing to everything the social services agent asked.

A little over an hour later he was picking up Aidan from the children's home.

"Hey little man!" Castle said, when the boy walked inside the same old room they had met in before.

The kid ran to him, hanging himself from his neck. "Rick! You're here!" He said laughing.

"Yeah, pal. You're coming home with me. How do you like that?" He asked, tickling the boy's tummy.

Aidan beamed at him, laughing hard. "Are we going to see Katie?"

Castle's face fell a bit, but he managed to control his facial expression before the kid could notice. "Um, I don't know, Aidan. She's working."

"But I want to see her! I like Katie!" The little boy whined.

Castle smiled melancholically. "Yeah, I like her too." He said, ruffling the boy's hair. "You know what? We're going to see her."

He put Aidan back on the floor, took the kid's hand, grabbed his suitcase and then walked out of the building, putting course for the precinct.

* * *

Kate saw his head through the venetian blinds of the break room and her heart skipped a beat. She had been out most of the morning tracking a lead with the boys, but they had found nothing. She walked into the room, her hands trembling and her heart jumping in her chest.

"Castle?" She called.

The writer was sipping on a cup of coffee looking at the opposite side of the room. When he heard her voice, his stomach clenched.

"Kate, hi." He said with a soft smile.

She exhaled. "What are you doing here, Rick? This is not the best place to talk about yesterday, you know?"

The smile on Castle's face vanished, his eyes becoming dark. "I know, Kate. It's just…" He moved a little bit to the left, letting her see the tiny sleeping form lying on the couch. "He wanted to see you."

Kate's gaze softened when she saw the kid, but at the same time she felt anger growing inside her again. "You brought him here? Castle!"

Suddenly, the boy stirred and raised his dark haired head to look up through his sleepy eyes. "Katie!"

TBC

* * *

**I'm a review sucker, so please, give me my dose! (Just if you want… But, pretty please?) *Puppy dog eyes + pout* You can't see me, but I'm adorable right now :P**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hey there, people! I'm sorry it took me so long to post this. Sometimes life happens and there's nothing we can do, I hope you can understand it.

Thanks a lot for the response to last chapter. You really blew me away! I can't be happier with the readers I have. You guys are great. Thank you!

I'll be always grateful to my beta, CastleWriter16. She's the best, period. Thanks for doing this and for helping me improve my grammar. I'm SO happy! lol

And now I leave you with the chapter. I hope you all enjoy it)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The boy stirred and raised his dark haired head to look up through his sleepy eyes. "Katie!"

Before the detective knew what was going on, she felt the boy crash against her legs with a thump, clamping his arms around her left thigh. "Hi!"

Kate couldn't suppress the smile that formed on her lips when she looked down into the kid's sapphire blue eyes. "Hey, little bug! How you doin'?" She asked, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Fine. Rick take me to his house. He says he have toys!" Aidan replied; his eyes wide open with excitement.

"I bet he does!" Beckett said, looking back at Castle, who was following their exchange without missing a thing.

She could tell his heart was melting right then and there, watching Kate Beckett being sweet to his more-than-likely son. What a softie, Castle.

Ryan and Esposito walked into the break room, both smiling smugly. Kate knew they were onto something. They had noticed her change of humor the day before and she knew they were trying to find out what had happened. What a nosy pair they were.

Ryan was the first one to notice the little boy clinging to Kate's leg. "Wow, Beckett! Did we miss something?" He asked, looking back and forth between her and Castle.

Espo laughed. "Yeah! Who's the little guy?"

Kate rolled her eyes and nodded her head towards the writer, who was still smiling at the view of his girlfriend and 'son' together.

"Castle?" Esposito called. "You there, bro?"

Rick snapped out of his trance and ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, yeah. He's… This is Aidan, my… Well, I still don't know… He's…"

Kate cut off his babbling. "He's Alyssa's son. Aidan?" She called the boy, who was still clutching her leg for dear life. "This is Kevin and Javier. They work with us."

Aidan hid his face behind Kate's leg, feeling a little shy. "Hi."

The two detectives smiled at the kid and greeted him, both making jokes about how much the boy looked like his father and what a nice family picture they made. Just what she needed right now.

"Guys? Could you show Aidan the vending machine in the lobby? Get him some candy?" Kate asked, handing Espo a few singles. "Castle and I need to talk."

Both boys looked at each other and then at Castle, mumbling, "Good luck, bro" under their breaths.

Esposito took the money as Ryan reached for Aidan's hand. It took a little while until the boy unclasped his arms from Kate's leg.

"Let's go, pal! Do you want some chocolate?" Ryan asked.

Aidan let out a loud "YES" and dropped Ryan's hand to run after Espo, who was telling him all about the variety of candy he could get.

The moment they left the room, Kate turned to her boyfriend, who was now praying to every God out there for his safety.

"Ok, what was this about, Castle?" She asked, her hands at her waist and her eyebrows reaching the top of her forehead. She was pissed.

Castle was offside. "What?"

"Aidan. Why is he here?"

Rick rubbed his temples and tried to get closer to her, but she kept stepping further. "The custody hearing was today." He simply said.

Kate sighed and shook her head. "I already know that. What I mean is, why is he _here_?"

"He wanted to see you, Kate. He likes you." Castle said, trying to invoke to her rather unknown, yet existent, tender side.

She snorted. "Yeah, sure..."

"What do you mean 'sure'? Why do you hate him so much? He's just a kid." Castle exploded. He knew she was mad at him, but it wasn't the boy's fault. Only his.

The detective frowned, surprised at his words. "Oh, you can't be serious! I don't hate him, you moron! He's a sweet little boy." She yelled, absolutely offended. "But this is a police station, Castle. It's full of thugs and killers. This is no place for a kid. You should take him home."

Castle nodded and tried to even his breathing. "I... Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. He shouldn't be here." He said. "But when I picked him up at the children's home he asked for you... He's just lost her mom, his home, everything… I didn't have the heart to say no."

Beckett bit her lip and moved closer to him. "Ok. I understand." She said, reaching for his hand. "But he can't stay here, Rick. You need to take him home."

"Will you come by later? We… We need to talk, Kate." He said, squeezing her hand with his.

Kate exhaled loudly and shook her head. "Not today."

"Kate, please, we can't let this get betw She cut him putting a finger on his lips.

"I said not today, Rick. Just give me some more time, ok? I need to calm down and take some perspective." She said, her hand cupping his jaw. "I promise we'll talk. Tomorrow."

Rick nodded and took his jacket from the couch. He had used it as a blanket for Aidan while he napped.

He put the jacket on and looked at her before stepping out the door with glassy eyes. "You know I love you, right?" He asked.

Kate's heart clenched. "Of course I do, silly. I just need some time." She said, walking towards him and putting her arms around his waist. "I love you too. That hasn't changed, Rick. It never will."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Ok."

"Now go home. I'll see you tomorrow for dinner." Kate said, patting his back and pushing him towards the door.

He was almost out of the room when she stopped him, pulling him back inside by his jacket sleeve. He was surprised by the sudden change of direction and lost his balance, but Kate steadied him with her hand on his chest and her mouth on his, in a short but hot kiss.

She pulled away from him and smiled broadly. "I missed that." She just said, pushing him out again.

Castle left the room with a proud smirk on his face.

* * *

By the end of the day they had a lot of evidence pointing to the coach's wife, Rebecca Milton, but they needed a search warrant for the house and car to look for the murder weapon or anything else that could tie her to the crime scene. Kate was almost positive it had been her.

They had interviewed the woman that evening, after having talked to the school janitor, now out of his shock. He told them that he remembered having seen Coach Milton's car outside the building that morning, but they knew the coach had used the subway to go visit his mother that day, which left them with the only person who could have taken the car on Sunday morning.

Rebecca had been cryptic in her answers and after they mentioned the car, she excused herself saying she needed to pick up her children from their Karate class.

They had nothing solid against her so they couldn't keep her to interrogate her any further. They had to wait.

"Ok, guys, we won't have that warrant until early in the morning. Time to go home and get some rest." She said, taking her coat from behind her chair.

The two detectives turned off their computers and followed suit.

"It was about time. I'm starving!" Esposito said, already walking to the elevator.

"Yeah, me too." Ryan agreed. "Will you be home in time to tuck your boy in, Mama Beckett?" The Irish cop joked.

Espo poked him hard in the ribs and shook his head. "Dude!" He whispered.

Beckett narrowed her eyes and gave both of them one of her looks. "Very funny. Seriously, guys. Hilarious."

"Oh, come on, Beckett. The boy's a sweetie." Ryan said, a little surprised by Beckett's reaction. "I thought you liked kids."

Kate sighed. "I do. I like them. It's just a little overwhelming when they turn out to be your boyfriend's secret son…" She said, her voice a little too loud. She rubbed her face with one hand and swallowed hard. "Let's just forget about this, ok? I don't want to talk about it."

Espo and Ryan nodded as they all walked inside the elevator sharing confused looks.

* * *

Castle was going crazy. He had put the kid to bed by 8:30 pm, but he woke up to a nightmare at 10 and making him go back to sleep had been an impossible mission.

It was 1:15 am and the boy was running around the living room with a toy airplane in his hand, making engine noises and 'landing' the plane on every surface he found.

"Ok, Aidan, it's time for bed. It's really late and you need to sleep, kiddo." He said, trying to catch the boy when he passed by him.

"No bed! No bed! I want to play!" The boy yelled.

At his second attempt he was able to catch the kid and take the airplane from his hand. "No more playing, pal. I said it's time to go to bed."

Aidan pouted and his eyes went watery in a second. "No! Gimme my plane! It's mine!"

"No, Aidan. You have to go to bed, ok? You can play with your plane tomorrow." He said, putting the toy on a tall shelf and taking the boy in his arms.

The kid started squirming, trying to get off of him. "No! No! No! I don't want to go to bed!" He cried. "You are bad! I want my mommy!"

Castle flinched at those words and tried to comfort the boy holding him close. "Oh, Aidan. I know you miss your mommy, but you have to sleep. You have a warm and cozy bed waiting for you upstairs."

The kid pushed him away, calling his mom and hitting Castle's chest with his fists. Rick didn't know what to do, so in an impulse, he grabbed his and Aidan's coats and walked out the door with the screaming boy in his arms.

* * *

Kate woke up to an incessant knocking on her front door. When she opened her eyes, she looked at her bedside clock and blinked hard to check if the hour she saw was right. 2:00 am. Who the hell was knocking at her door at that hour?

She got up, taking her gun with her, just in case. When she reached the door, she looked through the peephole, releasing the air she had been holding when she saw Castle.

She put the gun aside and opened the door, annoyance creeping inside her. She had asked for a day and he couldn't give her even that.

"Rick, what the hell are you doing here? It's two in the freaking morning!" She hissed at him. Her face fell when she looked down and saw Aidan's smiling face looking back at her. "Oh. Hi." Her eyes went back to her boyfriend's, seeking an explanation. "Castle?"

By the time the writer started talking, she already had the boy clasped to her leg.

"I'm sorry, Kate. He didn't want to go to bed and I was going crazy. I didn't know what to do…" Rick said, his face showing his exhaustion. "He was calling his mom. He said I was bad! God, I'm too old for this…"

Kate closed her eyes and chewed on her lip for a moment. Then she moved aside to let him inside the apartment, taking his hand in hers and squeezing hard. "You're not bad. And you're not old." She said; her eyes locked with his, trying to reassure him but failing completely.

When she released Castle's hand, she looked down at the boy, grabbing his arm and making him let go of her leg. Then, she crouched to his level to talk to him, her eyes and voice making it clear she was absolutely serious. "Ok, munchkin, play time's over. Go give Rick a big kiss goodnight so I can put you to bed."

Aidan remained in his spot for a moment, pouting and looking at Kate with angry eyes. She didn't falter, and after giving Rick a clumsy, wet kiss, the boy took Kate's hand, and followed her to her room. At the door, she turned to Castle and winked at him. "I'll be right back."

* * *

The boy fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. After such a busy day it was incredible that he had been able to be awake for so long. His breathing evened and Kate leaned down and put a kiss to the kid's forehead. He looked so cute and peaceful… Just like certain writer who was waiting for her in her living room.

She walked to the door, looked back at the boy for a moment and turned off the lights, leaving just the little lamp on her dresser on. She didn't know if Aidan was afraid of the dark, but she wasn't risking it.

When she stepped into the living room, Castle was writing something in his phone; probably a text to his mother and daughter to let them know where he was.

"He's out." She said, letting herself fall on the couch. "He was exhausted."

Castle smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He was worried. "You have a gift with kids, you know? That was amazing!" He said, taking a seat right beside her.

Kate laughed. "I used to babysit a lot when I was a teen. I was very popular in my neighborhood. Parents adored me."

"Well, I already adored you, but that demonstration has won you some extra points." Rick assured her with a chuckle. "I'm lucky to have you…"

Suddenly, his eyes went somber and his soft smile vanished, a thoughtful expression taking its place.'Cause I have you, right?"

Kate closed her eyes and sighed loudly. "Rick…"

"I… I've been thinking about yesterday all day and I… God, Kate, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I said those things to you." His whispered. "It was so unfair!"

She took his hand in hers and kissed it. "Yes, it was. But I understand that this is not easy for you either. I think we are both scared, and this 'being together' thing is rather new for us…"

He nodded. "Yeah, we've been trying to cope with things the way we used to do before. Separately. We need to find a way to do this together."

Kate squeezed his hand. "We will. But it's going to take time." She said, her eyes studying their joined hands. "I don't know how to deal with this, Rick. I don't want to mess things up."

"You won't! _We_ won't. It's going to be hard, but we've been through worse, Kate. We'll be fine." He said, his arm circling her shoulders and bringing her closer to him. "We'll be more than fine."

* * *

They woke up to the sound of Rick's phone ringing. He took it out of his pocket and answered without checking the caller ID.

"Castle." He grunted.

"Richard?" A voice asked. "Are you still at Kate's?"

He rubbed his eyes and blinked to clear his still blurred vision. "Mother? Yeah, I'm still here. Is everything ok?"

Martha took a few seconds before she talked back. "Yes. Everything's fine. I… I think you need to check the paper."

"The paper? Why?" He asked confused.

While he talked to Martha, Kate got up of the couch and went to the door to get the paper. She started flipping the pages until she found Page Six and a big article with the headline in huge black letters caught her eye:

"_**A MYSTERY HE WASN'T EXPECTING"**_

_Mystery writer, Richard Castle, had a big surprise this week, when while investigating the murder of a young woman, he discovered he is the biological father of the victim's son._

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**The End… For now! :P I'm already working on next chapter. I hope I can post it soon)**

**Please, let me know what you think. That pretty blue button down there is magical! Just click on it, you know you want to!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hey there, everyone! I'm SO sorry (again, I know) that it's taken me so long to update this. I won't lie, at first I was just lazy, but then, when I tried to sit and write… I just couldn't. Everything felt wrong, I ended up deleting whatever I wrote and I got frustrated, which made me get even more stuck…

Anyway, I took it seriously today, and after driving my lovely friend and beta, CastleWriter16 (thanks for all your support, girl. You're the best!), literally crazy; I've managed to write something readable. I hope you think the same…

I want to thank you all for reading this, and for all the wonderful reviews you're leaving for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Also, thanks for the story alerts and for adding this to your favorites. You guys are the best ;)

And now I leave you with the chapter. Please, enjoy! :)

* * *

**Chapter 8**

As Kate scanned the long text on the paper standing right by the door, Rick kept talking to his mother, trying to find out what was it all about.

After a minute that felt like an hour, she sat beside Castle and handed him the newspaper, hitting him in the arm he had raised holding the phone to his ear. He took the paper and read the headline, all the color draining from his face in an instant.

"I'll call you back, mother." He mumbled, as he hit the red 'End' button on his Iphone. "What the hell is this?"

Kate was looking sideways at him, her lower lip trapped between her teeth. "I have no idea." She replied, her voice sounding a little harsher than she intended.

He could tell she was scared, worried and a little bit anxious too. He knew how much she hated all the attention he raised, and how thankful she had been that he had had to delay the release of 'Frozen Heat' while he negotiated the future of her alter ego with Black Pawn. That meant they wouldn't have to deal with the press for a while, and she was happy to keep their relationship relatively private while they could. This was going to mess things up between them; he just knew it.

The writer threw an arm around her shoulders and pressed her against him. "Are you ok?"

"Am I ok? Are _you_ ok? Castle, this is all about you!" She said, pointing at the paper with her index finger. "There's nothing about me in there."

"Yeah, but you know that if they start digging into this, they're going to find out about us eventually. Are you ok with that?" He asked.

Kate took a second to digest those words and then nodded softly. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I? It's going to happen whether I like it or not." She shrugged and snuggled into him.

Rick nodded and kissed the top of her head while they read the article, paying attention to every detail. When they were done, Kate stood up and walked to the kitchen to start the coffee maker, turning to him when the dark liquid started pouring down.

"You shouldn't be worrying about me, Rick. They're talking about Aidan there. About a running investigation that's supposed to be confidential… Where did they get that? Who told them?" She asked, clearly irritated.

Castle could only shrug. "I don't know… Maybe the lawyer?" He suggested, running his fingers through his hair.

The detective shook her head, handing him a steaming cup of coffee and taking the seat right beside him. "I don't think so. Alyssa was his client; he wouldn't do that to her son."

"You're very trusting when it comes to lawyers' ethics…" He replied with a smirk. "They're not that honest when it comes to money, you know?"

"My mom was a lawyer, Castle. I know they're not all like her, but I still have some faith." She said, patting his thigh. "I should get ready. I need to be at the precinct in 40."

Before she could walk away from him, Rick caught her wrist and dragged her to him, making her sit on his lap.

"Hey! You almost made me spill my coffee, Castle!" She whined.

"Oops!" Was all he said before pulling her even closer to put a kiss on her lips.

The soft, little brush of mouths became much more in a second, catching them both by surprise. After all, it had been a while.

Kate moved to straddle his legs, trying to get even closer to him, her arms around his neck, keeping his mouth secured against hers while his hands roamed her upper body, making her squirm when he reached under her shirt to get skin to skin contact. Her lips started traveling along his jaw, landing on his earlobe and sucking on it, eliciting a low groan from Castle, who was now playing with the hem of her pants.

The sound of their rushed breathings was interrupted by a loud scream; it startled them both and made Kate jump off his lap as if she had been burnt.

"MOMMEEEEEEE!"

"Oh, crap!" Castle sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I can't keep telling him his mommy's not coming without giving him a reason… He keeps looking at me like I'm the one who's keeping her away."

Kate brushed away the few strands of hair that were covering his forehead and he leaned into her touch. "When Meredith left, I begged the lord that I would never had to go through that again. Telling Alexis her mother had left was the hardest thing I've ever done." He said, catching Kate's hand and kissing it. "Guess my praying didn't work. It's even harder this time."

Aidan screamed again, his sobs becoming louder and more urgent each time.

"Go." Kate said, taking his hand and helping him up. "He needs you."

* * *

Beckett was back at the precinct reading a few reports while she waited for the search warrant to arrive.

She had been late that morning. After Aidan interrupted their make out sesh, she had been banned from her own bedroom until Castle was able to calm the boy down and put him back to sleep. That had taken almost an hour that became 95 minutes after she took a shower, got dressed, put on her make up and drove to the station in a criminal traffic jam. The look she got from Gates when she arrived made her wish she had called in sick as Castle had suggested.

An hour after she arrived, they received the search warrant and left for Rebecca Milton's house. The search was fast and easy. They found the gun under the washing machine, wrapped in a cloth and stuck to the appliance with duct tape. It took Rebecca a while to confess even after they showed her the gun. When she broke, she started crying, blaming Alyssa and her husband for her crime.

"He was going to leave me." She said. "He wanted to run away with her and leave me alone to raise three kids!" The woman was frantic and she couldn't seem to find a place to put her hands. "He didn't want to be with me because he felt trapped! Trapped! But he was willing to go away with a stranger and take care of her child while he abandoned ours." Tears of rage started falling down Mrs. Milton's face, making her blink furiously in an attempt to push them back. "It was not fair."

The woman went on with her rambling, explaining that she had found Alyssa's number in her husband's phone; she had called using a burner phone to ask her to meet her at the school so they could talk. Just to clear things up, no rancor.

When Alyssa had shown up in the gymnasium, she had shot her without giving her the chance to talk. She took her phone and then tried to move her, but she heard the janitor in the corridor and ran away, dropping Alyssa's phone in the yard on her way out.

Case closed.

Kate couldn't stop thinking about those four kids, Rebecca's and Alyssa's, who had now to grow up without their mothers, just because life had gone crazy. She didn't know about Rebecca's kids, but at the very least, she knew that Aidan was going to be ok. Having seen them together, she was sure the kid was going to stay at Castle's whether he shared his genes or not.

* * *

After taking Rebecca Milton to lock up, Kate called Castle to give him the good news. It took him longer than usual to answer the phone and that made her a little anxious.

"Castle." He said in a gasp.

"Hey, you ok?" She asked. "What took you so long to answer?"

She heard him muffle a laugh and frowned. "Castle?"

"Sorry." He whispered. "We're playing hide and seek and you almost gave away my position."

"Castle, you do realize you're playing with a three year old, right? You should let him find you easily so he doesn't get bored." She told him, rolling her eyes and trying not to laugh, imagining her boyfriend hidden in a random corner of his loft.

She heard him laugh again before he replied. "Oh, you don't know this kid! I've been using some of my best hiding places and he's found me every time! He's like a blood hound. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he's your son."

Castle froze, his lips pursing into a thin line the moment he said the last words. He should know better than to speak everything that crosses his mind…

"Hey, you there?" Kate asked after a long minute.

"Yeah."

The detective fought a laugh before speaking again. "Rick? It's ok! It was just a slip. Relax, ok?" She said, still a little amused. After another long minute without a response, she talked again. "I called to tell you that we've closed the case."

"You have?" He asked, his voice still a little caught.

"Yes. It was Rebecca Milton, the coach's wife. He was going to leave her for Alyssa and she decided to do something about it… It's so sad, Castle. All those kids losing their moms to this nonsense…"

Castle sighed. He hadn't realized how this case could be affecting her. "You ok?"

"Yeah, it's just… I don't know. It feels familiar. The missing feeling, you know? I'm just so sorry for them…" She said, her voice losing strength with each word.

"I know you are, babe." He mumbled, falling silent once again.

They shared a few more minutes of silence until she heard a loud squeal and a child's laughter through the phone. Castle was busted.

"Told you he was going to find me." He said, his own laughter making it hard to understand his words. "Wanna say hi to Kate, big man?" She heard him ask.

"YES!"

"Here you go; grab the phone. Yeah, like that. Now say hi." He instructed the kid.

"Katie?" Aidan asked, his voice low and shy. "You there?"

Kate smiled and nodded at the same time she spoke. "Yes, sweetie, I'm here. Are you having fun with Rick?"

"Yes! We play hide and seek. I win all the times!" The boy replied excitedly. "You come and play with us?"

"Oh, right now I can't, honey, but I'll be there for dinner, 'k?"

"Ok. Bye, Katie. Have to hide." He said, giving Castle the phone and running away to hide when the man covered his eyes and started counting.

When she heard his voice closer to the phone as he counted, she spoke again. "I was telling Aidan that I'll be there for dinner tonight, k?"

He stopped counting and she heard his breathing sharpen. "Um, yeah. Sure. But Kate? There's a little… How would I say it? A little problem?"

She let out a long sigh. "The press is there, right?"

"Yeah…" He said. "They've been here all day. I had to call Eduardo and ask him to let me in through the back door this morning. I used my jacket to cover Aidan, just in case. You never know where they hide to take a photo…" There was a long pause and then he spoke again. "Still want to come?"

"Yes! Of course I want to go. I won't let this get in the way, Rick. If I want to have dinner and spend the night with my boyfriend, I will. No matter how many paparazzi he has at his door."

"Good." He said with a smile. "We'll be waiting for you with a luscious dinner and open arms, detective."

"Wonderful. See you in a while, Writer Boy."

"Yeah, see you." He was about to hang up when he called her name. "Kate?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

She blushed furiously. Even though he wasn't there, it still made her melt inside hearing him say those words to her. "I know. Me too."

TBC

* * *

**It's short and it has a cheesy ending, I know… I'd love to know what you guys think about it. Be honest and let me know if this sucks, ok? Thanks again for reading :)**

**I promise (I really do, I can't cross my fingers when I'm typing) that I'll try to update this a lot sooner this time. Cross my heart!**


	9. Chapter 9

******A/N: **Hi guys! I hope you didn't find the wait too long :) If you like fluff, you're going to enjoy this chapter a lot :P

Big THANK YOU! to my beta CastleWriter16 who took the time to edit this even with a migraine. You're the best Twin! ;)

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Please let me know what you think :)

* * *

**Chapter 9**

It was around 7 pm when Kate managed to leave the precinct for the night. After finishing most of the paperwork related to Alyssa's case, she had dismissed the boys, debriefed Gates, and had a final cup of coffee before packing up and heading out.

She walked out of the building lobby, discarded the idea of hailing a cab, and started walking; it was a warm sunny day and she needed the time to think. For all she knew, there was an army of paparazzi waiting outside Castle's door, and she needed to come up with a plan of action. Should she call him and ask him to tell Eduardo to let her in through the back door? Should she try to disguise herself in some way and go through the main door? Or maybe she should just stop overreacting and go, enter the building and let them come to their own conclusions?

Gosh, when did life become so freaking complicated? First the kid and now this…

* * *

She arrived at Castle's building by 7:45, and the moment she caught eye of the press, her legs started shaking. She had been walking for over 40 minutes and she still had no idea what to do.

It was clear that she wasn't ready to face the media just yet, so she took out her phone and dialed her boyfriend's number.

"Hello?" Came the voice of a young woman.

"Alexis?" Kate asked, a little surprised that she was answering her father's phone. "Is everything ok?"

The girl chuckled. "Yes. Everything's fine. Dad's giving Aidan a bath and asked me to answer for him."

Oh. "Do you think I could talk to him for a minute?"

"Well, he's kind of soaked… The kid wanted to play pirates and Dad got a little carried away. You should see him." Alexis said, her voice full of amusement, pride and something that resembled longing.

Kate laughed at that, not needing to see the man to know what he would be looking like right then. "I can imagine. Look, I'm down here, but there are like a gazillion paparazzi at the door and…" She trailed off, unsure of how to explain her abhorrence of the press to the girl.

Alexis smiled, nodding her head, even when she knew Kate couldn't see her. "Oh, I see. Let me call Eduardo, ok? He'll let you in from behind; don't worry. The door is right beside the car entrance. You'll find it easily." The girl informed her.

"Ok. Thanks, Alexis. You just saved my life."

The redhead laughed softly. "No problem. See you in a bit." She said, and then she hung up to call the doorman.

Kate circled the building and found Eduardo already waiting for her at the back door. She thanked the man for his help and made her way up to the loft, her legs still a little shaky.

She found herself at the red door in no time, waiting for a member of the Castle household to let her inside.

The door cracked open and she was received by Martha's enthusiastic embrace. "Kate, darling! You made it." The actress said, crushing Kate against her. "Was Eduardo fast enough? Did anyone see you?"

"Um, no; I think I managed to get inside without being seen. How is it that there are so many people outside? I had never seen such a fuss here before. Not even for a book release." She said, putting her jacket away in the closet by the door and following Martha into the kitchen, where the woman was already serving her a glass of wine.

"Oh, they're like hyenas, dear. When they smell the carrion you can't get rid of them." She said, handing Kate the glass she had just filled. "Richard's said that he's going to call Paula; have her send a press release so they leave us alone for a while. I don't think that's going to work, though."

Kate swallowed the sip of wine she had taken with difficulty. These were going to be hard times.

Right that moment Alexis came down the stairs with a very tired Aidan holding her hand. The second the kid saw Kate, he let go of the redhead and ran to her, clutching his chubby, little arms around her thigh like a koala.

"Hey, little bug! A little birdie told me you just had a bath." Kate told the kid, ruffling his wet, dark locks. "Did you have fun playing pirates with Rick?"

Aidan yawned and nodded. "Yes! I have a sword!"

"You have a sword? Wow!" She smiled, looking at a very wet Castle who was coming down the stairs toweling his hair. "Why am I not surprised?"

The writer shrugged and gave her an innocent grin before he leaned in and kissed her. "Hi, beautiful."

"Hi." She replied on a sigh.

"I see you made it safe and sound? Alexis told me you called."

The detective nodded, trying to follow him and the other two women to the couch with the boy still clasped to her leg.

Alexis laughed. "Why does he do that?" She asked, amused.

"I have no idea, but it's a little bit weird. He's only seen me twice in his life." Kate replied, having to stay standing since the boy wouldn't let go of her. "Hey, bug, wanna sit there with me?" She pointed to the spot on the couch right beside Castle. "I'm a little tired."

The kid looked at the patch of couch Castle was now patting and then back to Kate before he nodded and let go of her leg.

"Thank you."

Martha tried to hide her smile behind the glass of wine she was holding, but she failed miserably. "He really likes you, Kate." She said.

Alexis nodded. "Yeah. It must have something to do with the Castle genes. You got us all under your spell." The young woman joked. "Huh, Dad?"

Castle, who was completely absorbed in looking at Kate, turned to look at his daughter, completely lost. "Huh?"

The girl laughed softly and shook her head in amusement.

A comfortable silence filled the living room as they remained just sitting there for a while, Castle and Alexis in the middle, flanked by Martha and Kate, who had little Aidan sitting in her lap, his little hands playing lazily with the fringe on her scarf.

A few minutes passed until Castle's stomach made itself known with a loud growl, making laughter explode in the room.

"Wow, Dad, you could just have said you were hungry." Alexis said through a burst of laughter.

The writer shook his head. "What, and ruin the mood? This is so much more fun."

Martha stood up and walked to the kitchen, opening the drawer where they kept all the brochures and menus from their favorite take-out places. "Ok, kiddo, do you like pizza?" The woman asked the little one.

Aidan looked at Kate a little confused. "It's time for dinner, sweetie. Do you want pizza?" Kate asked him again.

The kid gave her a little nod and then snuggled closer to her, burying his head in her chest.

Kate was starting to get worried about the boy's behavior towards her. She liked the kid and was more than flattered that he felt so comfortable with her, but she found it odd that he felt so attached to her when he hardly knew her.

Castle noticed her subtle nuisance and turned his attention to Aidan. "Hey little man, wanna come here with me while Kate goes and changes her clothes?" He asked, stretching his arm towards the boy.

Aidan shook his head and clutched his arms around Kate's neck. "No. I want with Katie."

"I know, Aidan. She's not going anywhere, just to the bedroom to change into something more comfortable. You like being in your jammies, right?" He tried to negotiate with no success. "Come on, don't you want to play with me?" He pouted.

The kid smiled a little bit but didn't let go of Kate's neck.

"Ok, little bug. You need to let go of me. I have to get changed and ready for dinner, ok? I'll be back in no time. I promise. Go play with Rick."

Aidan's eyes filled with tears in a second, but he nodded and removed himself from Beckett's lap and climbed into Castle's, still looking firmly at the detective.

Kate's heart broke a little at the sad look in the boy's face, so she leaned down, took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back so soon you won't even notice that I left."

* * *

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed and she and Rick had had their first hand to hand in one week, they talked about Aidan and his fixation with Kate.

"I'm not saying it makes me uncomfortable or anything, Rick. It's just weird that he feels so attached to me so suddenly." Kate said, her hand brushing his side lazily. "You're supposed to be his dad. He's spent more time with you and knows you better. Shouldn't he be more clingy with you?"

"Well, that'd be the rational thing, yes. But he's never had a dad before. His whole world consisted on his mother and I guess he just feels more comfortable with you. He's not used to have a masculine figure around and he doesn't trust me." Rick rationalized.

Kate looked up at his face searching for some kind of discomfort, but she found nothing. "And you're ok with that?" She asked.

He laughed. "No, of course not. But there's nothing I can do, is there? I guess he'll trust me with time."

Kate's face became serious, and pushed herself up so she could look at him in the eyes before asking, "You're keeping him, aren't you?" Castle just looked at her, his face blank. "Even if he's not yours. You're going to keep him."

He sighed and nodded. "Yes. I… He has no one else, Kate. I can't leave him now."

She bit her lip and then leaned down to put a kiss to his nose. "I know."

Before she could retreat from her position, he pushed her head down to his again, so he could trap her lips with his. They kissed for a few minutes until things started escalating into something more and more passionate. Their hands became more daring and soon she was straddling his hips, frantically rocking against him.

The sheets fell down Kate's back, leaving her bare in the dim light of the room, their gasps and moans becoming more urgent with every movement of their hips. Rick grabbed Kate's neck and made her meet his lips once again, turning them over and making her yelp in surprise.

She smiled mischievously at that; grabbing his rear end and pushing him closer to where she wanted him more, making his breath catch in his throat. Kate let out a loud moan just at the same time as the bedroom door burst open and Aidan ran to the bed screaming.

"Katie, Katie, Katie, Katie!" The kid called.

The detective pulled the sheets over her body, trying to cover herself as best as she could, as she signaled Rick to hand her his shirt, which laid discarded by the end of the bed.

"What is it, sweetheart? You ok?" She asked, concerned by the kid's urgency.

The boy climbed on the bed and wrapped his arms around her neck. "I thought you left." He said.

"I didn't leave, bug. I'm right here."

Rick took the occasion to put on his underwear and a shirt and offered to take the boy to the bathroom so Kate could get properly dressed. "It'll be a moment, buddy. We'll be back in no time."

* * *

About an hour later, they were lying in bed with a sound asleep Aidan between them, his head resting on Kate's chest.

"This is how our nights are going to be from now on, aren't they?" She asked, stroking the kid's head softly.

Castle smiled and reached to touch her face. "Probably. Yeah." He admitted. "I know it's not the most romantic way to end the night, but it's certainly a beautiful one."

The detective gave him a bright smile and kissed the hand he was cupping her face with. "Good night, Rick."

"Good night, Kate. Sweet dreams."

* * *

Kate's free day morning started early. _Very_ early.

Aidan woke up at 6 am and decided that it was the perfect time to jump in the bed, with such luck that he landed on Kate's stomach, waking her up the worst way possible.

Castle grunted at the sudden turmoil and Kate took the kid out of the room to feed him breakfast. She sat him on the table, fixed him some cereal and then went to pick the paper from the doormat.

She was curious about what had been going on the day before, so she went directly for Page Six, and there it was; a picture of Carla Santino and a big black headline that read:

'**Lover's Best Friend Talks About Big Rick's New Love Child' **

_Classic_, Kate thought. They should have known it had been her who talked to the press; also, '_love_ child'? Rick couldn't even remember Alyssa's name when he saw her at the gymnasium.

This was going to piss him off. A lot.

* * *

When Castle woke up, he read the paper and called Paula right away, telling her that she had to stop it as soon as possible.

"I can't go out of my apartment, Paula. They're everywhere!" He yelled. "It's only been a day and it's already getting out of control. We can't go on like this."

While Rick talked to Paula, Kate was sitting in the living room, watching Aidan while he played with his plane and some other toys Castle had bought him the day before.

She wasn't paying much attention to the TV until something caught her eye. A woman, some blonde bimbo with blue eyes and big breasts, was talking to a reporter outside a small house in the suburbs.

"Yes. It's true. We slept together a couple of times and I got pregnant." The woman turned and picked up a little girl from the floor. She'd be around four or five years old and had light brown hair and big blue eyes. "Her name is Cassie; she's five. Don't you want to meet her, Ricky? She's your daughter." The woman cried. "She needs her daddy."

Kate's mouth hung open and she dropped the remote. She couldn't believe this. Another one? Could it be true? She just didn't know what to believe.

After taking a minute to recover, she stood up and went to the study to tell Castle, her hands trembling like crazy.

"Rick?" She called.

He was still on the phone with Paula and made her a sign to hold on.

Kate shook her head. "Rick!"

"Honey, I'm on the phone!" He replied a little annoyed.

Kate glared at him and pointed to the door. "You _need_ to see this."

TBC

* * *

**What do you guys think is going to happen now? Let me know about your thoughts and opinions by clicking down there :) **

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Oh, Gosh… Please don't hate me! I know I promised I would post earlier this time, and obviously, I didn't keep my promise. Maybe I should start my political career, right? :P

Ok, no more jokes. I'm very sorry I had you all waiting. I've been going through an awful writer's block and I couldn't make myself write anything worth of reading. I just hope this chapter is good enough for you, guys. Thanks for sticking around ;)

Also thanks for reviewing and adding this to alerts (already trespassed the 200 barrier! *amazed*) and favorites. You are absolutely the best readers in the world.

Have I told you that I have the greatest beta? Well, I do. Thank you, CastleWriter16. You're my lost twin ;)

Sorry about that ^^^Too long… Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_Kate glared at him and pointed to the door. "You need to see this." _

When he saw the girl, Rick dropped his phone, the touch screen cracking into a big spider web when it hit the ground.

After taking a few minutes to put himself back together, he sat on the couch and started shaking his head in disbelief.

"No." He said, loud enough just for him to hear. "That's not… She's lying!" His voice had gone up from whispering to yelling with each word he spoke, startling Aidan, who was playing a few feet away from him. "That girl's not mine."

Kate looked up at him from her crouched position on the floor, where she was picking up the phone. Paula was still yelling, trying to find out what was going on.

"Sorry, Paula. He'll call you back." She said, pressing the End button and placing the ruined device on the coffee table. "Well, how are you so sure?" She asked, looking sideways at the little boy.

Castle frowned and let out a nervous laugh. "By the time that girl was… _conceived_… I was married to Gina. I may have an unruly past, Kate, but I have never cheated on any of my wives. EVER!"

His loud voice alarmed his mother and daughter, who ran down the stairs completely confused and concerned at Castle's state.

"What's going on?" Alexis asked, looking at Kate as if she were the problem.

The detective shook her head and turned her attention back to her boyfriend. He was running his hands through his hair and sighing loudly.

Kate sat beside him on the couch and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ok, Rick. I'm sorry I doubted you." She said, her hand sliding down and squeezing his bicep. "Just relax, ok? You're scaring Aidan."

The writer turned to look at the kid, who was sitting beside the coffee table, a red racecar in his hand, looking at him with furrowed brows and a pout. "Hey, buddy! I'm sorry I yelled. What are you doing?"

"Play." He replied with a shy smile.

Then, the kid moved towards Rick and climbed into his lap, cupping his cheek with one of his tiny hands. "You sad?" He asked, piercing the writer's eyes with his blue ones and tilting his head to the side.

The three women, who were watching the scene in silence, let out a low 'Aw' and looked at each other smiling at the kid's tenderness.

Castle couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his face. "A little, yes. But I'll be just fine, pal. I promise."

Aidan looked at him, studying his face as if trying to decide if he believed him or not. After a moment, the kid just nodded and smiled back at Rick. "Want a hug?"

"Sure. I'd love one, Aidan." He replied, his arms closing around the boy's body as Aidan draped his little ones around his neck.

"I have never seen such a sweet scene." Martha said, making as if she were brushing a tear away.

Castle smiled at his mother and released the kid from his embrace, turning to look at Alexis who was smiling at them tenderly.

"Hey, Pumpkin, could you please take Aidan upstairs? We need to talk here." Rick said, looking at Kate and Martha with a serious face.

Alexis winced and shook her head. "Dad! I'm not a kid anymore. I want to know what's going on." She whined.

"I know, Alexis. But I need someone to take care of Aidan for a while. We'll talk later, ok? I promise."

The girl nodded and took Aidan's hand, guiding him upstairs and telling him how much fun they were going to have together. The kid turned around at the last step, looking at Kate with watery eyes.

"You'll be fine, bug. I'll come see you in a little bit, ok?" Kate offered, smiling at him.

* * *

After they left, Castle and Kate explained the situation to Martha.

"Another one, Richard? If there's one thing I've taught you in life, it's to be safe." The actress scolded him. "Anyway, I'm surprised it's taken so long for something like this to happen. God knows fame has a price…"

Rick looked at his mother pensively, somewhere between surprised and annoyed. "First of all, Mother, that girl is NOT mine. And second of all, I've ALWAYS been safe."

"Well, darling, we have living proof up there that tells us that is not true." Martha said, tilting her head towards the stairs. "But if you say that girl is not yours… I believe you."

Kate nodded. "Yes. I believe you too. But now we need to think about what we're going to do about this. I mean, you can't just let that woman go around every TV channel and tabloid, saying she has your child. You need to stop this."

"I know… Let me call Gina; she'll know what to do." He said, grabbing his ruined phone and dialing his ex-wife's number.

* * *

It took Aidan a little while to feel comfortable around Alexis. He sat on the floor of the room Castle had prepared for him, surrounded by his toys, but not playing with them. After a few minutes the girl sat beside him and took one of the racecars he had been playing with downstairs, moving it in front of him and talking as if she were announcing a race.

"And Alexis takes the lead; she's going very fast. This is her first year running the Castle Cup, but we can tell it won't be the last one. She doesn't have any rivals…"

The redhead's car tripped over a tiny crack on the hardwood floor and capsized, sliding across the floor to the other side of the room.

"Oh, wow… There goes my trophy." Alexis sighed.

Aidan let out a laugh, but tried to hide his amusement when Alexis looked back at him.

"Hey Aidan. It's even more fun if we both run the race, you know?" The girl said with a big and compelling smile. "Here, this is yours, right? She asked, handing him the red car he had been playing with before.

Aidan nodded and took the car from Alexis' hand, making it roll a little bit and looking sideways at the redhead. "You playing?" He asked.

Alexis nodded and went to pick up her blue car, and started radiating their race, making the kid laugh. Maybe having a little brother wasn't that bad after all.

* * *

He was sitting at his desk, Kate behind him with her hands on his shoulders. Martha and Paula were sitting in the two armchairs on either side of the room. Gina was pacing the floor, hands on her hips.

"Ok, so you have a son… But you still don't know if he's yours because you're waiting for the DNA tests. Still, you're fostering the kid, because… what? You wanted a new toy? Rick, this is crazy! I can't believe you didn't tell me about this the moment you knew. I'm your publisher! Do you have any idea how much this could tarnish your image?" The woman yelled, her hands flying to her head to rub her temples.

Kate's grip on Rick's shoulders tightened, encouraging him. "Look Gina, I know it looks really bad, but Aidan is not a problem, ok? He's lost his mother and right now I'm the only person in the world who can take care of him. I can explain it to the press; it's not a big deal."

The publisher glared at him. "You can explain it to the press? Well, you should have thought about that _before_ mommy's best friend went and talked to them first. Now all Paula can do is make a statement where you explain _your_ version of the story. And guess who people are going to believe? Her! Because you hid it on the first place. So yes, Rick, it _is_ a big deal."

"Everybody makes mistakes." Kate blurted out, starting to feel a little more than annoyed by Gina.

The woman turned to her and walked closer to the desk to look at her in the eyes. "Yes. But not everyone is a New York Times, best-selling novelist."

Kate snorted. "He's a writer, not a model. You can't expect him to be perfect."

"Again, what is she doing here?" Gina asked Rick completely importuned.

"She's my girlfriend, Gina; I want her here." The writer replied, squeezing one of Kate's hands on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, how you used to tell me, dear, 'no ring, no voice', remember?" She shot, reminding Rick of the words he told her once after they got divorced.

Kate was about to reply when Castle glared at his ex-wife, took a purple paperclip from the table, made a little ring with it and put it on Kate's left ring finger, leaving the four women in the room speechless.

"Now she has a ring. Can we please get back to the real problem?" He said, grinning smugly at Gina.

The blonde nodded and swallowed the words she wanted to say. "Sure."

* * *

It seemed like they were working things out. Paula and Rick were writing a press release explaining everything about Aidan, how that new girl couldn't be his daughter, and how he was open to running DNA tests because he was absolutely certain that the girl wasn't his.

Gina had stepped out of the room a while ago to make some calls, and after Castle and Paula started working on the statement, Martha had talked Kate into a drink.

"It seems things are starting to sort out, kiddo." The redhead said, handing her a glass of scotch. "I can tell this is taking a toll on Richard. He's always been very protective of his family."

Kate nodded as she took the glass. "I know. He's been tense since that first article yesterday morning. I can't even start to imagine what's going on in his head."

Martha made a sign and Kate turned to find Gina's eyes on her. She had hung up the phone and was standing close to Rick's study door, watching the exchange between the other two women.

"Gina… Look, I'm sorry about before. I know you're doing your job and that you only care about his well-being. It's just that… Well, he's taking this really hard and I…" She didn't know how to go on. The last thing she wanted was to become an obstacle between Rick and his publisher/ex-wife, as much as she disliked her.

The publisher nodded and let a timid smile show. "I know. I'm sorry too. I can get really bitchy when it comes to work. Rick is my best writer. I need him. I count on him and he knows it, that's why this bothers me so much."

Right that moment Rick stepped out of his study with a piece of paper in his hands.

"This is not my fault, Gina." He said. "I know I should have told you before, but this is the way it happened and this is how we have to deal with it. I'm sorry I screwed things again, though."

Gina smiled at him and took the piece of paper he was handing her.

"That's what we've managed to do in this little time. I think it will keep them satisfied until at least… tomorrow morning." Paula said, looking at Gina while she read the press release.

Kate frowned. "Tomorrow morning? That's in like… 18 hours. What do these people want?"

Paula laughed and walked over to her, patting her shoulder. "Oh, dear, you don't wanna know." She said, shaking her head. "Wait until they know you two are together. _That_ is going to be crazy."

Kate looked at Castle completely terrified, the lump in her throat almost visible from where he was.

"Don't worry, Kate. She's just trying to scare you." Rick said, piercing Paula with his blue eyes.

"And it's working."

Everybody but Kate laughed at that, making her feel even more uneasy. She was already having a hard time dealing with the entire 'secret babies' thing, and she wasn't even officially involved in it. What would happen when she became the focus of the news?

* * *

It was almost 3 pm when Gina and Paula left the loft, and just then they realized they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

"Oh, God… I'm so hungry!" Kate moaned, walking to the fridge with a hand in her stomach. "It seems that Alexis and the little one had lunch without us." She pointed out, noticing the two plates on the sink.

Castle chuckled. "Yes. And they left us some in the oven. Alexis made pasta." He said, showing Kate and Martha the note Alexis had left for them on the kitchen bar.

The actress reached for the oven and took out the three plates full of pasta carbonara that Alexis had left for them.

"That girl is so thoughtful. I still can't believe she's your daughter." Martha joked. "You should probably go upstairs and check on those two. Alexis will be worried."

"Yeah… Um, keep these warm for us?" he asked, offering his hand to Kate. "Come on. Aidan must be looking forward to seeing you."

* * *

The room was a little bit of a mess, as if they had been playing with every single thing they had in their reach. Racecars were all over the floor, a couple of action figures were hanging off the lamp, and they had taken off Aidan's bed sheets to build a tent in the middle of the room, using a couple of chairs and a bunch of pillows.

They found them inside the little lair, asleep and looking more than content with each other. Aidan was lying on his belly, his head on Alexis' shoulder and his hand grasping a big lock of red hair. The girl was on her back, one arm around the kid's body in protection and the other under a pillow.

"Wow, look at that!" Castle said, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah. They're cute."

The writer took the big comforter that was left on the bed and put it over the two sleeping bodies, brushing both Aidan's and Alexis' cheeks in the process. He then moved back to Kate, snaking an arm around her shoulders, pressing her against his side and kissing her forehead.

"I know it's crazy, but this is really close to what I imagined our life would be when we got together." Rick said with his eyes stuck to both his kids. "I just thought the little one would be yours too…"

Kate stiffened under his arm and her breathing became a little harsh, but she managed to put the fear back, realizing she wanted that too. A family.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled. "There's still time for that, Castle." She said, disentangling herself from him and walking to the door. "Plenty of time."

* * *

After their very late lunch, they sat on the couch, the TV white noise in the background. Kate was resting her head on Castle's lap and he was holding her left hand, playing with her fingers.

"You kept the ring." He laughed.

Kate raised her head to look at the little purple loop around her finger and nodded. "Yes. I like it."

"It's just a paperclip, Kate."

She sat up to look at him in the eyes. "No, it's not. There's a lot of meaning behind it. It's important to me."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her, brushing the ring with his thumb. "I'm glad you understood it."

Kate met him halfway and they kissed slow and sweet until something caught their attention.

"Hmhmm." Alexis hawked. "Are we interrupting?" She asked with a grin.

Kate's cheeks turned red instantly as she tried to hide her face from the girl. Castle just laughed and shook his head in amusement.

"It's ok, Pumpkin. You sleep well?" He asked.

Alexis nodded and kissed his cheek, placing Aidan on Kate's lap. "He's been asking for you all day."

"Hey, bug! How have you been?" Kate asked the boy, stroking his dark hair. "Did you have fun with Alexis?"

"Yeah. She's funny. I won all the races." The kid explained, his eyes big and excited. He turned to Rick and grabbed his hand. "She says you take me to a park. The big one with monkey bars?"

"Sure, buddy. I'll take you there."

They all smiled at the kid who smiled and leaned his head against Kate's chest letting out a big yawn.

"Still sleepy, little bug? You just took a nap."

Aidan shook his head and smiled. "Not sleepy. I want ice cream."

Kate and Rick frowned at the sudden request of the little boy and Alexis laughed.

"I told him he could have ice cream if he was a good boy, and he's been a very good boy, haven't you munchkin?"

Aidan stood up and started jumping. "Yes! Good boy! Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!"

"Ok, ok!" Rick said leaving his seat. "Kate and I will bring the ice cream and you two can choose a movie. What do you say?"

Aidan looked at him doubtfully. "Cartoons?"

The three adults laughed. "Sure, pal. Cartoons."

TBC

* * *

**And here's where we leave it today. I hope this chapter has been worth the wait for you guys. I'll really try to update earlier this time.**

**Feel free to comment anything. I'd love to know what you think :) Thanks for reading!**


	11. Note: Important Please Read

**IMPORTANT: **Hey guys. I know it's been a long time since I last updated this, but please don't think I've abandoned it.

I've been/am on vacation and will be back home on Monday. Hopefully, I'll be able to start writing on Tuesday and post a new chapter by mid-week.

I'm so sorry to have you waiting… Please be patient, I promise it will be worth it :)

Thanks a lot for your understanding; you're the best!


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I'm finally here :) It took me a little longer than I thought to put this chapter together, but well, I did it! Good news is that I have the next one all figured out and I think I'll be able to write and post it soon. *crosses fingers*.

Thanks for being so understanding and supportive, and for keeping on reading this, and for following it, and for reviewing it… Well, just thank you for everything! :)

A big hug and a huge 'Thank You' to my beta, CastleWriter16. You make all this so much easier! Luv ya! :P

I hope you guys are having a nice summer and a relatively easy hiatus (the wait is killing me!). Enjoy the chapter! ;)

* * *

**Chapter 11.**

Heat. The only thing she could feel right then was the warmth that was engulfing her completely. After a long fight with her dopey limbs, she managed to move to push the covers down, but something hindered her task. She turned her head towards the annoying obstacle, opening her eyes very slowly, almost ready to poke Castle out of her way, when she realized it was not him obstructing her movements. It was Aidan.

The kid was curled up at her side, his hand tangled in her hair and his little knees pressed against her ribs. No wonder she was so stifled; the boy was like a little heater against her body.

Kate untangled Aidan's hand from her hair and moved him away so she could push the sheets down. When she was done, she ran her hand through the boy's head and stroked his sleeping, adorable face. It was weird how much she had grown to like that kid in just a few days. But, at the same time, he made her feel insecure, scared and the worst of all, jealous

Yes, she was jealous of a three year old.

Thinking about it coldly, it might seem stupid and selfish, but she had her reasons, right? Thanks to that kid she was being bereft of the most important thing in her life. Her partner.

Just as if thinking about her working relationship with Castle were an omen, her phone started ringing, startling her out of her reverie.

They had a case. Well, _she_ had a case.

She listened as Esposito gave her the relevant information and then hung up and headed to the bathroom, leaving her warm and cozy spot on Castle's bed to her newest competitor.

It was the first time she left his loft alone to go to a crime scene since they had gotten together. They had developed a ritual for early mornings like this one. He made coffee while she showered, and then she got dressed and did her make up while he took care of his own morning routines. But nothing of that was going to happen from now on. He would have to stay home to take care of Aidan, and she would have to sneak out of bed at odd hours to go do her job, missing him like crazy. This was so not fair.

She came out of the bathroom already dressed for the day, her hair still a little damp, wetting her shirt. She startled when she looked up and found Aidan sitting on the bed watching her intently.

"You leaving?" The boy asked, his voice low and shaky.

Kate walked to him and sat beside him. "Yes, sweetie. I have to go to work."

"Can I go?"

She smiled and stroked the kid's head. "I'm sorry, Aidan, but you can't."

The boy pouted and leaned on her side, his face hidden against her arm. "Why?"

"Well, I have a dangerous job, bug. You're lucky to stay here, you know? You get to spend the day with Rick."

"But I want with you!" the kid whined. "Please?"

Kate sighed and rounded the boy with her arm. "Listen to me, baby boy. I'll be out for just a few hours." She told him, kissing his forehead and putting him back down to bed. "Now, you're going to lay down and sleep. Then, in the morning, you'll get up and have breakfast - Rick makes the best breakfasts ever."

Aidan opened his eyes wide and smiled. "Pancakes?"

"Of course!" She said, tickling his side. "Then you guys will go out to that park you wanted to go to, remember?"

"The one with monkey bars?" The kid asked excitedly

"Yes. That one." She nodded. "Then you'll have lunch, take a nap, play some more, and before you know it, it'll be dinner time and I'll be here with you."

Aidan studied her for a moment, his blue eyes piercing hers. "You promise?"

"I promise, little bug. Now sleep." She said, pressing a soft kiss to the boy's cheek and tucking him in.

At the other side of the bed, a very amused and touched Castle tried to hide the traitorous smile that wanted to creep into his face.

* * *

Kate arrived at the crime scene about 40 minutes after Esposito's call. Thank God, there were no paparazzi camping at the main door, so she could get out the door without being bothered with stupid questions and unwanted photos.

The victim had been found in his own bed and Lanie was crouching beside it, leaning over the bloody body of the middle-aged man. When she entered the room, the ME removed her eyes from the guy and smirked at her mischievously.

"Morning, detective! How's your boyfriend, 'The Stud', doing today?" She asked.

Kate's expression fell from amused to completely annoyed. "Oh, very funny, Lanie. Really."

The boys, who had entered the room right after her, laughed at the ME's remark, and Ryan put a hand on Beckett's shoulder.

"Come on, we all know that woman's lying. Try and see the humor in it, Beckett."

"Yeah, as if that was something easy to do…" She sighed.

Espo kneeled beside the bed, patting Lanie's, knee and smiling. "Well, you could always bottle up Castle's little swimmers and sell them online. You'd make a fortune. I bet that'd help you see the bright side." He mocked her.

"Oh, come on, you guys! Could you please save the jokes for later? I could do without this right now. Seriously."

The three of them lowered their heads, mumbled low 'Oks' and went back to their jobs in an instant. Thank goodness for loyal friends.

* * *

After discussing the case with Lanie, Beckett sat down on an empty table in the morgue and took a deep breath.

"So. Are you going to ask something or do I have to do all the dirty work?" Kate asked, looking at her friend through thick eyelashes.

Lanie smiled and took a seat right beside the detective, bumping her shoulder with her own. "I think that question took care of it." She said. "How are you?"

"Mmm. To be honest, I don't know. This is over my head. All of it." She said, rubbing her thighs with both palms. "First Aidan, and now this… As if the press wasn't already too much to deal with."

"Do you think she's his?" The ME asked carefully.

Kate shook her head and smiled. "No. He's pretty sure that she's not his daughter. He was still married to Gina back then. He swears he never cheated."

"And you believe him?"

The detective released her lower lip from the attack she was submitting it to and nodded. "Yes. I do."

Lanie got up from the table and sat on a chair in front of Kate, searching for her eyes. "Then I assume that's not what's bothering you. Spill, girl."

Kate let out a soft laugh and then took a deep breath. "I… Gosh, Lanie, I'm such a horrible person!"

"No, you're not!" The ME yelled.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about."

"Doesn't matter. You're one of the best people I know, Kate Beckett. Nothing you think or do would ever be so bad."

Beckett snorted and ran a hand through her hair. "It's the boy."

"What about him?" Lanie asked.

Kate blushed and looked away from her friend, trying to hide herself in some way. "He's… Everything is changing because of him. Not even a week ago I had everything I had always wanted. A job I love, great friends and a wonderful and loving boyfriend… But, now? That boy's appeared and everything's gone to hell!"

Lanie frowned. "What do you mean 'everything'?"

"Castle. He won't be shadowing me anymore, which means that the part I love the most about my job is gone for good. And that's not the worst part. The worst part is that everything's changing between us as a couple too!"

She had hopped off the table and started pacing the floor without even realizing it, and had her friend following her along the room with her eyes, turning her head left and right as she moved.

"The other night he caught us in the middle of… Well, you know… I had to sneak into the bathroom and get dressed so the kid could sleep with us."

Lanie laughed out loud at that, trying to excuse herself with her friend when she saw the glare Kate was directing at her. "Sorry, girl, but it's funny!"

"Yeah. You can't imagine how much I laughed when it happened." She growled. "Do you know what bothers me?"

"No. Please, tell me." Lanie let out with a smirk.

"That I like him. I like that boy. He's the cutest, sweetest thing ever, and he's totally smitten with me! I can't keep him away from me when I'm around. Yesterday we sent him upstairs to play with Alexis and he almost cried because I wasn't going." Kate explained. "Gosh, even this morning… I had to make him go back to sleep because he wanted to come to work with me."

"Aww. So cute!" Lanie said. "He's adopted you!"

Kate grimaced. "Oh, please, tell me you're joking."

"Nuh-uh. That boy's lost his mommy and he's made you the replacement one. You should be honored." The ME said.

"I am, I guess… It's just… I'm not a mom, Lanie. I'm far from being ready to have kids. I want them someday, but now? I'm still enjoying the Honeymoon phase with Castle. I'm good with practicing making babies, but having them? Hell, no!"

"Well, look at the bright side. You won't have to make this one. No labor, no diapers, no sleepless nights because of colic... It's a win-win situation."

Kate narrowed her eyes at her friend and shook her head in annoyance. "Are you serious, Lanie?"

The ME shrugged. "A little bit? I mean, I know this is huge, Kate. I know that Castle having a kid wasn't even remotely in your head, but it wasn't in his either. Have you talked to him about all this?"

"Yes. Well, more or less. We had a fight the other day, but I never got to tell him what my real fears are. I don't want him to think that I don't want to support him. I don't want him to think that I'm a selfish bitch."

"You are not a selfish bitch, Kate, you're just human. This would overwhelm anyone, but you guys need to talk this through before things get worse. You need to be honest with him."

* * *

By 10:30 am Castle was walking out of a coffee shop with Aidan's hand in one of his and a steaming cup in the other. Right when they were about to step out the door, Rick bumped into someone.

"Rick? Rick Castle?" The man asked, holding onto the writer's shoulder to steady himself.

"Um, yeah… Who are y- Oh! Hi!" Castle said, placing his coffee on a small shelve nearby the door and shaking Jim Beckett's hand.

The older man smiled and returned the shook effusively. "It's good to see you, son. Are you in a rush? Meeting Katie, maybe?"

At the mention of Kate's name, Aidan showed his dark head from behind Castle, looking at Jim with curiosity.

"Katie? Where is she?" The kid asked a little confused.

"Oh. Um… She's not here, kid." Jim said, looking back and forth between Castle and the boy.

Rick smiled at the man's confusion. "Kate's working Aidan. We'll see her later." He said, ruffling the boy's hair a little. "Do you know who this man is?"

Aidan shook his head, his eyes never leaving Jim. "No."

"It's Kate's dad. Why don't you say hello?"

The kid moved closer to Jim and made the man crouch to his level moving his tiny finger. "You're Katie's daddy?"

"Yes, little man, I am. And you are…?" Jim asked, smiling broadly at the boy.

"Aidan." He replied. "I… I don't have a daddy…" The kid said, frowning a little as if he had just realized that fact.

"You don't?" Jim asked, his eyes flying up to Rick's. "But I thought-…"

"I haven't told him yet." Castle interrupted. "Not until the tests come out. It's… Well, I want to make it easy for him."

"I understand." Jim replied.

Right then Aidan tugged on the man's jacket, making him look back down at him. "We're going to the park. Wanna come?"

Castle smiled at that and looked at Jim in askance.

"Oh, sure. Let me get my coffee and I'll join you in a minute, ok?"

* * *

They walked for a couple of blocks until they arrived to a small park with colorful swings, monkey bars, and slides. The place was surrounded by benches and a three feet tall bush fence.

There were a bunch of kids playing around with their parents and/or nannies watching for their safety from the green wooden benches.

"We can sit here." Castle pointed to one of the few free benches left.

Jim nodded and sat down, letting go of Aidan's hand, who was already trying to run to the monkey bars.

"Hey, wait a sec, munchkin! You be careful there, ok? Don't go on the tall ones; you'll hurt yourself."

"Ok." Said the boy, running fast to the set of red and blue bars where a couple of kids were hanging from.

Castle and Jim watched the boy for a few minutes, both drinking their coffee, lost in their thoughts.

Jim was the first to break the ice. "He's a nice boy."

"Yes, he is." Castle agreed.

"Katie's very fond of him." Jim added, taking another sip of coffee. "She's always loved kids, my daughter."

Castle's brows joined in the middle of his forehead, furrowing furiously. "She's told you about Aidan?"

The older man laughed. "Of course! How do you think I know about him?"

"Well, the press has been doing a great job informing the public lately. I don't think there are many people out there who don't know about Aidan."

"Right. Sorry." Jim apologized. "I don't watch TV and Page Six is not something I normally check when I read the paper… Katie called me the day you got the news. She was worried about you."

"Worried about me?" Rick asked. "Why?"

Jim shrugged. "She thought you'd do something stupid."

"Like fostering him without telling her?"

"Yeah." The man laughed. "Like that."

Castle took another sip of his coffee and took a look at Aidan, who was climbing up the monkey bars. "She knows me too well." He mumbled. "Has she told you anything else? How she feels about all this?"

Jim looked at Castle over the rim of his cup and smirked. "Shouldn't you ask that to her?"

The writer sighed. "Yeah, I guess. It's just that… Well, Aidan's really attached to her and she's wonderful with him, but I can tell she's not comfortable with all this. I don't even know if I'm comfortable with all this…"

"It's not an easy situation, son. I can understand why you'd feel insecure." The older man said, patting Castle's shoulder. "About Katie… She's worried about how this is going to change your life, _her_ life. You have to understand that, even though it's been a surprise for both of you, you at least have been a parent before. She has no idea what her place is now."

"She's my girlfriend! I don't want her to feel like I'm neglecting her or shutting her out of this." Castle said, almost feeling angry with himself.

"I don't think she feels that way, Rick, but you'll have to give her time until she figures out where she fits."

"All the time she needs." He replied, smiling to Kate's father. He would give her anything she needed, no matter what it was.

"You love her." And it was not a question.

"I do, sir. With all I've got."

Jim nodded and smiled back at Rick. "Then you'll be fine."

TBC

* * *

**Kind of a transition chapter; I hope you guys enjoyed it.**

**Let me know about your thoughts, likes and dislikes with a few lines down there. They'll be much appreciated :) Thank you!**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Hey there, guys! Hope you're having a nice summer. I know it's been a long time, but life is crazy, and hot, and well… It took me a while.

Thanks so much for all the nice reviews, the follows and favs you've given to this story. I adore you, guys! For real! ;)

A HUGE thank you to my twin, BFF and beta CastleWriter16. Not only did she edit the chapter (making me laugh with her hilarious comments, by the way), but she also gave me the idea for a very special character guest starring in it. You'll know who I'm talking about :P Love ya, girl! Always ;)

Ok, time to read! Hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

**Chapter 12.**

They stayed in the park until Jim had to leave for a lunch appointment. After the older man left, Castle felt a bit out of place sitting on a bench all by himself, and after having to practically tear Aidan off the swings, he took his phone out and called his girlfriend. She was at work, but she had to eat too, right? They met her at Remy's a little bit after noon. Castle hadn't told anything to Aidan, who ran like crazy towards Kate when he saw her walk through the door.

The kid crashed against her legs with a thud, making her stumble backwards a few inches.

"Hey! Easy, bug. You'll make us both fall." She said, pushing the boy away with both hands on his shoulders. "You ok?"

"Yes." The boy replied with a playful smile. He hugged her leg, pressing his face against it. "I missed you." He mumbled, his voice muffled by the fabric of her pants.

Kate couldn't help but smile. That boy tore down her defenses just as easily as his father did. She didn't know what the tests would say, but just _that_ was proof enough for her. The kid was a Castle from head to toe.

Lunch went fast. Kate had to go back to precinct soon and Aidan was getting anxious. Castle had promised him ice cream after lunch, and the boy kept bouncing up and down on the booth trying to decide the flavors he was going to pick.

"I want chocolate!" He said as they stepped out of the booth. "And cream… and vanilla… and, and… I want cookies… and sprinkles!"

Castle laughed at the kid's excitement. "Wow. That's going to be one big ice cream, buddy. You sure you'll be able to finish it?"

"Yes! And I want it on a cone. And, and, and…."

"Relax, Aidan. You just ate!" Kate interrupted the kid's rant. "Rick will get you a _one_ scoop cone with the topping you prefer, ok?" She leaned her narrowed eyes on Castle and added, "Let's try to be adults and not get the kid into a sugar coma, shall we?"

The writer pouted and nodded his head, an arm sneaking around her waist as they walked out of the diner. "Ok. But we get to name it and make up a story." He added. "I used to do that when Alexis was little. She loved it."

"I bet she did." The detective replied with a smirk. She loved the little kid inside the strong, caring man, even though it was that part that always drove her crazy.

* * *

The ice cream parlor was just a block away, and they walked there, Castle hooked to Beckett's waist and Aidan hand in hand with her.

The detective could see the goodbye was going to be a teary one. Aidan had been stuck to her side since she walked through the diner door, and he kept pouting every time she mentioned she had to go back to work. She still couldn't understand his attachment to her, but it was starting to be painful for her too. She hated breaking the kid's heart.

"Ok, it's your turn, big guy. What do you want?" Castle told the boy, raising him up so he could take a look.

The kid's mouth fell open at the sea of different flavors in front of him. "Can I have two scoops?" He asked shyly.

"Uh Uh. You heard Kate. Just one and one topping." Castle replied.

"Ok." Aidan said, pursing his lips and studying his options. "I want chocolate and colored sprinkles."

* * *

They left the parlor, each with an ice cream in hand, and started walking towards the precinct. Kate had to be there in half an hour and the walk and the fresh air were working wonders on her mood.

"Ok, Aidan. You wanna hear the ice cream story?" Castle asked excitedly.

The boy nodded and licked the brown cream that was starting to melt. "Yes!"

"Good. Then we need to name it."

Aidan looked at the cone through narrowed eyes. "Mmmm. Icy! We call it Icy."

"Icy the ice cream cone?" Beckett asked, amused.

Castle gave her a look and shrugged. "He's only three, Kate."

"I know!" The detective laughed. "I just found it funny. Go on with your story, Writer Boy."

"Ok. So, once upon a time-"

"No!" The kid exclaimed.

Kate and Castle looked at him surprised. "No, what?" The writer asked.

"Not 'once upon a time'. Icy's here now." Aidan pointed out. "He wasn't Icy before."

Kate raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Smart kid. You sure he's yours?" She whispered.

Rick glared at her with narrowed eyes. "Ha. Ha. Very funny." He turned his attention to the boy and smiled. "Ok. You're right, no 'once upon a time'. So… Icy," he started, lacing his hand with Kate's, "the ice cream cone was waiting at an ice cream parlor whe-"

"Hey! That my hand!" Aidan yelled, cutting the writer off mid-word.

Castle looked down at the entwined limbs and quirked an eyebrow. "_This _hand?" He asked, amused.

"Yes!" The kid replied indignantly, walking towards them and trying to untangle their joined hands. "It mine! She mine!"

Kate would have found that terribly adorable if it wasn't for the tone of desperation in the kid's voice. It broke her heart.

"Hey, pal, that's not yours, it's Kate's hand. And she's a little bit mine too, you know." Castle tried to reason with him.

"No! She mine. Right, Katie?" He asked, his big blue eyes pleading with hers. "You mine, right?"

Kate was speechless. What the hell was she supposed to say to that?

"She's a little bit yours, a little bit mine, a little bit Alexis'…"

"NO! No! No! Mine!" Aidan screamed, throwing his ice cream and holding onto Kate's leg, two big tears rolling down his chubby face.

Kate looked at Castle and winced. She was totally lost. The kid was obviously having some king of crisis and neither of them knew what to do, but she couldn't continue to watch him cry.

"Ok, Aidan. It's ok." She whispered, handing Castle her ice cream and kneeling to be face to face with the boy. "Hey!" She said, wiping the kid's face with both her thumbs. "What's wrong, baby? You feeling sad?"

Aidan looked at her for a moment. His tiny hands were limp at his sides, as in defeat. Helpless. "I miss mommy." He said, his voice caught. "She not coming back."

Kate let out a sigh and shook her head. "No, honey, she's not."

"You leave like her?" The boy asked, his watery eyes fixed on her.

"I…" Kate started, not knowing what to tell him. She couldn't promise she'd always be there. She didn't know what was going to happen in a few days time. What if he wasn't Castle's? What if Rick decided to give him up were the results negative? What if she was shot in the middle of an investigation? There's no way you can reassure a little boy with a 'maybe'.

"I…" She repeated.

Castle held the two ice cream cones in one hand, put the free one on her shoulder and squeezed. "Look, Aidan, your mommy didn't leave you because she wanted to, ok? She didn't want to leave and she did all she could to stay with you. And so will Kate." He said, crouching so he was too at the same level. "And so will I, ok?"

The boy didn't seem very convinced, but he nodded his head and hugged Kate for dear life, his little body trembling. After a couple of minutes his breathing became more even and he let go of Kate reluctantly, giving her a shy smile when she kissed his forehead.

"Feeling better, bug?" She asked, stroking Aidan's cheeks with her thumbs; she smiled back at him when the kid nodded his head slowly.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry to inform you that poor Icy didn't make it…" Castle said, pointing to the broken cone on the sidewalk.

Aidan looked at it with watery eyes. "Poor Icy… I let him fall…" The kid said guiltily.

"It's ok, buddy. He's in a better place now." Rick joked.

Then Kate took out a Kleenex and picked the ruined cone from the floor concrete, wrapping it in the tissue.

"We need to find a bin." Kate said, wiping the chocolate from the sidewalk with another tissue.

"No! We can't throw Icy away! He's my friend."

"It's just a co-" Kate started, but was cut off by Castle's hand over her mouth.

"He's right, Kate. Icy was his friend. He deserves a worthy burial." The writer added, handing her their two cones so he could take Icy from her hand.

Kate looked at him incredulously. "You want to bury an ice cream cone in the middle of Manhattan? Good luck with that, Castle."

The writer's face fell, but his wince became a huge smile when he spotted a big flowerpot a few feet away. "Good luck indeed, detective." He mumbled, taking Aidan's hand and signaling for her to follow.

Castle made a hole in the ground and put the wrapped cone inside. Then, he took Aidan in his arms so he could see. "Ok. Time to say goodbye, pal."

The boy looked at the cone for a moment and blew it a kiss. "Bye, Icy."

Kate pouted at the kid's sad face and weak voice. The scene was so sad and so very sweet.

"Don't you wanna say anything to our friend?" Castle asked her mischievously.

Aidan turned his eyes to her expectant and she just nodded her head instinctively. What the hell could she say about a freaking ice cream cone?

"Um. Well… um… I… er… I am so sorry Icy had to leave us." She said in a low tone. "Um… Goodbye?"

Castle barely contained the burst of laughter after she spoke, but he managed to cover the cone and put Aidan back on the ground. "Well, buddy. He's gone. You've been very brave." He said, ruffling the kid's hair.

"Yeah, very brave." She added with a smile, taking a look at her watch. "I really need to go, Castle. It's late."

He nodded, grabbed Aidan's hand, circled her shoulders and headed them towards the precinct.

* * *

The boy ended up between the two of them, bouncing along the sidewalk while hanging from both their hands. It was a long walk, but they finally made it.

"Ok, we're here." Kate said, looking at the stone entrance. "I have to go, little bug."

The kid's grip on her hand tightened and his eyes filled with tears. "No! Katie, don't go!" He pleaded, letting go of Castle's hand and grabbing her coat. "Please?"

"I told you, Aidan, I have to go to work. Remember what we talked about this morning?" She asked, getting a soft, almost imperceptible nod from the boy. "Now you'll go home, take a nap, and before you know it, I'll be there for dinner. You won't even notice I'm not there."

Castle watched them from a distance, amazed at how well Kate dealt with the situation. He still couldn't believe she was so good at it.

Two big tears fell down Aidan's blue eyes, making Kate's heart clench. She was getting tired of making him cry. She felt horribly guilty every time she had to leave him and that make her feel uncomfortable around the boy.

"Oh, come on, Aidan! Don't cry!" She begged, turning to Castle for support. "I'd really appreciate some help here."

The writer smiled. "You're doing perfectly fine without me."

Beckett turned Aidan around so he could see his face. "You think?" She asked, glaring at him. "Do something!"

Castle nodded and dropped to his knees. "Hey, Aidan. We have to go home, pal. Kate has to work."

The kid frowned and shook his head violently. "NO! No home!"

"Aidan." Castle warned. "We're leaving now. Give me your hand and say goodbye to Kate."

"NO!" The boy yelled again. He yanked his hand from Kate's and started running away from them.

"AIDAN!" Both Kate and Rick shouted. The writer stayed stuck in his place for a moment, paralyzed by fear, but Kate ran after the kid, stopping him before he could turn the corner.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, mister?" She asked breathlessly. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing, trying to get out of her chest. She had never been so scared in her entire life, and nothing had really happened.

"Aidan?" She called him. His eyes were closed and his face was contorted into a painful grimace. It was scaring her. "Hey, bug, you ok?"

The shriek that came out of the kid's mouth startled her and everyone walking down the street at that moment. He was crying so hard his face was crimson red and he couldn't breathe properly. Castle was beside them in a second.

Kate tried to hug the boy but he kept pushing her away. It made her eyes water. Why did it hurt so much?

"Hey, bug! It's ok, baby. Come on, don't cry like that…" She tried to soothe him.

People were looking at them, giving them those reproving looks that burn your skin and make you twitch with discomfort. They were doing it wrong.

Castle patted her shoulder and made her a sign to stand up. When she did, he picked up the boy and hugged him hard, stroking his back over and over again, but nothing seemed to work.

"It's ok, Aidan. Calm down." He whispered into his ear. "Everything's ok. You will see Kate later, pal. It's ok."

After a few more minutes of loudly sobbing, he relaxed against Castle and stopped, his head resting on the writer's shoulder.

"See, Champ? Much better." Rick said against the kid's nape. "Wanna give Kate a kiss goodbye?"

"NO!" He replied, hiding his face in the crook of Castle's neck. "I want Lexi.".

Kate's face fell. What had she done? Two minutes ago he didn't want to let her go and now he hated her? She was so lost when it came to kids.

Castle noticed her concern and shook his head, trying to tell her not to listen to him. "Come on, Aidan, say goodbye to Kate."

"I don't wanna. I want Lexi." He said again, his voice starting to shake again, threatening with another crying session.

Kate shrugged and patted Castle's shoulder. "It's ok. Don't make him do it if he doesn't want to." She leaned in, kissed the writer on the lips and turned around to leave, but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"It's just a huff, Kate. He'll forget about it in a minute." Castle tried to reassure her. "See you later, ok? Love you."

She nodded mildly and tried a forced smile. "Love you too. Bye."

She walked away and entered the building with a tight knot dancing in her belly. This morning she didn't want to have to deal with a three year old, and now she couldn't bear having him mad at her. Things kept getting better and better…

TBC.

* * *

**Ok, kids. That was all for now. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and our guest star Icy :P **

**Always a pleasure having you reading :) Thank you!**

**Review? ;)**


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I'm sorry this one took me a 'little' longer than usual. I've been dealing with other stories and a few other issues, so yeah, I had this a little abandoned. Anyway, I'm here now and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the others :)

Thanks to all of you, sweet, amazing people for following, adding this to favorites and for leaving such amazing reviews. I love you all.

My thanks also to my wonderful, incredible, amazing (there are not enough words) beta CastleWriter16, who edited this chapter while suffering a horrible migraine. You are the best. Period. Love ya! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 13.**

The way back home was a nightmare. It took Castle at least fifteen minutes to hail a cab, which turned out to be something incredibly difficult to do with a screaming kid hanging off his neck.

Aidan didn't stop crying until they arrived to the loft, which had made the cab ride a lot more interesting. The moment Castle opened the door, the kid spotted Alexis and ran towards her, colliding against her thighs and making the girl fall back down on the couch.

"Lexi!" He yelled. "I missed my Lexi!"

The girl smiled and grabbed him, pulling him up so he was sitting on her lap. "Hey, buddy. I missed you too." She replied.

The boy leaned his head against Alexis' chest and yawned loudly, closing his eyes and falling asleep in a matter of seconds.

"Wow! He was tired…" Alexis exclaimed, cradling the boy back and forth with a sweet smile on her face. She ran a hand through his hair and then stroked his chubby cheek. "You're so cute." She whispered.

Castle smiled at the scene before walking to the kitchen. He definitely needed a drink.

Martha who was, as always, watching everything from a distance, walked to her son and patted his shoulder, giving him a knowing look.

"What happened?" She asked, tilting her head towards the sleeping boy.

Castle shrugged and smiled. "What makes you think something happened?" He asked, handing her a glass of scotch. "Join me?"

She just nodded, grabbed the glass, and took a sip of the amber liquid. "I know you, kiddo. That look in your eyes tells me there's something wrong, either with the kid, or with Kate."

"Wow, Mother," The writer sighed, "I didn't know you were such a perceptive woman." He paused for a moment. "The problem is with both of them, actually. We met Kate for lunch and it didn't turn out to be such a good idea…"

"Why?" The woman asked. "They seem to get along really well."

Castle smiled. "They do. That's the problem."

Martha winced. "Oh, Richard. How can _that_ be a problem? Are you trying to keep her at an arm's length from the boy the same way you did with Gina and Alexis?"

"What? No!" He replied indignantly. "I love the way Kate is with Aidan; that's not a problem, Mother! It's just that the boy is too attached to her and they both have a hard time every time they have to separate; Aidan, because he doesn't want to let her go, and Kate because she can't see him cry. You have no idea how he reacted when Kate said she was leaving before... He _ran_ away!"

Martha gasped in surprise. "He ran away? Oh, that poor kid…"

Castle nodded. "Yeah. Thank God, Kate was fast enough to catch him before he could turn the corner." He took a moment to sip from his glass and have a seat on one of the kitchen stools. "He's not ok, Mother, and I don't know what to do."

"Well," the woman started, swirling the scotch in her glass. "You could always talk to a professional."

"Isn't he too young for that? I mean, he doesn't even understand what's going on."

Martha smiled and nodded. "Exactly. He probably needs someone to explain it to him. Have you even told him that his mom is dead? That you are, most likely, his dad?"

"No." He sighed. "I don't know how to do it. I just told him that she's gone and she's not coming back. He's so little, Mother!"

"I know, Richard. I know it has to be hard." The woman took a big gulp of her whisky and sighed. "I still remember when you asked me about your father for the first time."

Castle felt the oxygen leaving him. His mother never, _ever_, talked about that. _Ever._ "You… you do?" He asked, more than surprised.

Martha nodded her head and smiled at him apologetically. "Yes. You were-"

Rick's phone started ringing that precise second, startling both of them. "Crap!" He mumbled, reaching for the annoying device. "It's Gina, I have to take it." He said, excusing himself to his study.

He came out ten minutes later, reaching for his jacket and his keys that lay forgotten on the kitchen counter.

"I have to go out. Gina convened a meeting with Paula and the Black Pawn's directors to find a course of action about that girl's paternity. I'll be back as soon as it's over." He told his mom. "Pumpkin? Will you take care of Aidan while I'm gone?"

Alexis stood up with the boy in her arms still asleep. "Sure, dad. I'm going to put him to bed." She said, walking to kiss him goodbye.

The boy opened his eyes then, squinting at Castle. "Katie?" He asked.

The writer smiled and shook his head. "No, buddy. But she'll be home soon. Go back to sleep."

He leaned in and kissed Alexis on the cheek, pecked Aidan's forehead. He hugged his mother before walking out the door to his meeting at Black Pawn. Castle knew it was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

He'd been in that meeting for almost two hours. They were discussing his questioned paternity and everything it involved.

The directors were not happy with the bad publicity it all could carry him and the publishing house, and practically forced him to sign a paper saying that he would 'willingly' perform DNA tests if more of his 'love kids' came out to the forefront. They couldn't afford the bad publicity on one of their writers. It was unacceptable.

The only thing that had made his evening a little brighter was the text he had gotten from Kate. He had texted her to tell her he had a meeting and she had replied in no time.

'_Ooh. Sorry you were called to the dungeons. Don't let them brainwash you too much, they'll ruin all the work I've already done! :P Pick me up when you're out?' _

He typed _'Absolutely'_ and pressed 'send'. At least he had something to look forward to.

* * *

Aidan woke up not even half an hour after Castle left. As soon as he was wide awake, Alexis took him down to the kitchen and sat him on the dinner table to feed him some snacks.

"Where's Katie?" He asked the young woman, who was taking out some fruit out of the fridge.

"She's working, Aidan. She'll be back soon." The girl replied, handing him a piece of peach. "Here, eat this. It's yummy!"

The kid licked the fruit and made a funny face, but he took a bite afterwards. "Rick is with Katie?"

Alexis shook her head, biting her own piece of peach. "No. He's working too. I mean, he's at his 'real' job." The girl joked, knowing the boy had no idea what she was talking about. "Hopefully, he'll be back soon too. You wanna see him?"

"Yes." the boy said, his big blue eyes wide open. "Rick is funny."

The redhead laughed at that. "Yes. That he is."

"I wanna play cars!" The boy yelled suddenly, jumping out of his chair. "Cars! Cars! Cars!"

"Ok, buddy. Just finish your fruit and we'll play cars, ok? Which one are you going to be this time?" She asked, getting up from her chair to sit the boy down again.

"I want the red one. It's mine."

* * *

It was past 7:30 pm when he walked out the elevator of Black Pawn head quarters. He had been there for more than 4 hours straight. That hadn't been a meeting; it had been a torture!

His face brightened up when he spotted a tall, brunette, just plain gorgeous detective waiting for him in the lobby. Her hands were in her pockets and she seemed a little distracted. He walked towards her with a big smile on his face.

"Hey! I thought _I_ was picking _you _up." He whispered in her ear.

She jumped, startled, and turned to look at him with a hand over her heart. "You almost killed me, Castle!" She scolded him.

He grinned and walked closer to hug her. "Sorry." He mumbled, putting a kiss on her neck. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled back and kissed his shoulder, tilting her head to talk in his ear. "I finished my paperwork early and I got bored waiting for you. What took you guys so long?" She asked, removing herself from him.

"Oh. It was an interesting meeting. It's a shame you couldn't be there." He joked, grabbing her hand and heading towards the door. "We've discussed my very bad habit of engendering children without their consent. It was fun."

Kate laughed and squeezed his hand. "I'm sure that's not all you've been discussing." She said, looking at him in askance.

Castle nodded and sighed. "They asked me to give a news conference. Give a speech about how sorry I am that this has happened. Affirm that I had no idea where that girl came from or that Aidan existed before we found his mother's body… All that jazz." He said, his eyes not leaving the floor.

"I can sense there's something else you're not telling me." She added, pulling his arm to make him look up. "Spill."

"Hmm. Uh… Paula… She told them we're together." He said, his eyes coming up to meet hers. "They want me to talk about that too." By the time he finished the sentence his eyes were narrowed, squinting in question. "Are you ok with that? 'Cause I can tell them no, you know."

She laughed. She couldn't help it. His face was so tense and he was so nervous that she just couldn't help it. "Hey! It's ok. I knew this day would come, and if it helps you in any way, I'm ready for it."

"You are?" He asked incredulously.

Kate stopped walking, making him stop right in front of her. "It won't be easy for me, Rick. You know how much I hate all this, but we have to do it."

Castle looked at her for a moment and then crushed her to him. "Thank you." He said against her neck. "I really need you on this."

"You have me, babe." She replied, her teasing tone making him laugh. "I have something to tell you too."

Her boyfriend let go of her and they resumed their walking again. "Go ahead."

Kate bit on her lower lip and then spoke, "Lanie called me before I left the precinct. They're releasing Alyssa's body."

"Oh. Good." He said.

"That's not it. No one's claimed it. She had no family, only her son and that friend of hers, but she can't take care of the burial…"

"So, what's going to happen to her body?" He asked, concerned.

"Well, as far as I know, they end up in a mass grave. Sometimes they're cremated and that's it. They just disappear."

The writer shook his head. "No. I… I can't let that happen. How would I explain that to Aidan? That I let his mother just vanish from the face of the Earth?" He looked at Kate, almost asking for permission, even though he didn't need it. "I'll take care of it. We'll call Lanie first thing in the morning."

Kate smiled at him and stopped him to press a soft kiss on his cheek. "You are an amazing man, Richard Castle."

He just smiled at her sweetly. She was an amazing woman too.

"How was the bug doing?" She asked after a while, her lip trapped between her teeth.

"Fine, actually. He asked for you before I left." He replied, giving her a cocked smile. "I told you it would last him a moment."

Kate exhaled loudly and smiled back at him. "Thank you."

"Why?"

She didn't answer, just kept walking with a soft smirk on her face.

* * *

They arrived at his loft a little after 8 pm, only to find the entrance plagued with paparazzi. Castle stopped before they were 'visible' to the press hyenas and turned to Kate.

"You're still on time. You sure you wanna do this?" He asked, his eyes looking straight into hers.

"Yes. Let's do it." was all she could let out. She was nervous and apprehensive, but she knew it was something they needed to do sooner rather than later.

She squeezed his hand hard and started walking towards the army of photographers and reporters waiting by the door.

"It's him!" They heard. As soon as they crossed the road, the crowd of paparazzi assaulted them, and before they realized it, they were surrounded, unable to take a single step forward.

"Mr. Castle! Is it true that you were unfaithful to your second ex-wife with Melanie Stanton and had daughter with her?" A reporter asked.

Kate could see Castle's wince when he heard the question. She wanted to punch the guy.

"No. It's not true." He replied. His face was completely glazed.

Suddenly, a blonde shape came out of nowhere and clung onto Castle's neck, pushing Kate aside with a hard jab on the ribs.

"Hey!" Kate yelled. But she had practically been thrown out of the hubbub after the bimbo attacked _her_ boyfriend. The paparazzi were ecstatic with the turn of events.

"Hunnybun!" The woman screamed. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Who are you?" Castle asked, trying to push her away without any success.

Another reporter put a recorder before his face and asked, "Don't you remember your lover, Castle?"

The blonde smiled and hugged him even harder. "It's me, baby! Melanie."

"I'm sorry, lady, but I haven't seen you in my life." He blurted, trying to be as polite as the situation allowed him. "Could you please let go of me?"

"Oh, baby! I've missed you much! You can't just push me away like that." The woman whined.

A moment later she was releasing the writer, jerking in pain. Kate had practically torn her apart from Castle and was holding her, her arm twisted behind her back. "The man asked you to leave him alone." She mumbled in the woman's ear.

The flashes were practically blinding them now, questions and pictures shot at the same speed.

"Is that Kate Beckett?" one asked, "It's the real Nikki!" another yelled. "Is it true that you two are together?"

Castle grabbed Kate's hand and tried to walk to the door, but the detective hadn't let go of Melanie, who was whining in pain.

"Kate, you have to let her go." Rick whispered in her ear. "We can't take her home with us, it wouldn't look good…"

Kate chuckled at that and released the woman, who turned to glare at her. "Who the hell do you think you are? Are you crazy? You almost broke my arm!"

"I didn't break it. No, I am not crazy, and I AM _hunnybun's_ girlfriend, so you better stay away from him. Understand?" She warned the blonde. "Now get the hell out of here."

The reporters went wild. They couldn't even understand the questions they asked, all talking over each other. After a moment of confusion, Castle managed to make then shut up and listen to him.

"Ok, guys. I'm not going to make any more comments tonight. Black Pawn is calling a press conference for tomorrow, and that is where I'll explain everything you need to know. Now if you'll excuse us, it's been a long day and we'd like to rest and spend time with our family. Thank you."

With that, he turned around, grabbed Kate's hand and entered the building, leaving the paparazzi yelling a million questions at the closed front door.

* * *

Kate and Rick entered the loft hand in hand, both smiling at each other, only to find Martha coming down the stairs, laughing to herself.

"Hey, mother. What's so funny?" The writer asked, surprised at the woman's amusement.

Martha shook her head. "Go upstairs and see for yourself" She replied, unable to contain her laughter.

Castle and Beckett climbed up the stairs, both looking at each other in confusion. When they arrived to the second floor, they had to dodge the little form that rushed down the stairs as fast as a bullet, holding something in his hand and not even turning back to look at them. Alexis was right behind him, but stopped her running when she spotted the two of them by the stairs.

"Hey, kids. What are you doing? Do you have any idea of what was happening to Grams? She was laughing like som-"

Castle was cut mid sentence when he turned to look at his daughter. The girl was painted in a bright fuchsia color almost from head to toe. By the texture and the little chunks smeared all over her, Castle could tell it was some kind of lipstick.

Kate covered her mouth with one hand and tried to swallow the burst of laughter that was trying to come out of it. "Oh my God! What happened to you?" She asked to the girl, who, apparently, didn't find the situation very funny.

Alexis pursed her lips and glared at the detective. "Sorry." Kate mumbled, a giggle escaping her. "It's just… sorry."

"Pumpkin, you really need to work on you makeup skills…" Castle added, making the redhead pierce him with her eyes.

"Yeah, very funny, dad." Alexis said. "I fell asleep reading to the little rascal and woke up like this! It was my favorite lipstick!" She whined.

Castle and Beckett couldn't contain the laughter anymore. "Yeah, you laugh." The girl said. "You should see _him_. And just for the record? I'm not giving him a bath." The girl turned around and walked to her bedroom, trying to wipe out the lipstick from her face.

Writer and detective were still laughing in the middle of the corridor when Alexis turned around. "By the way, I think he was going to dad's room…"

Castle stopped laughing immediately and looked at Kate, panic shining in his eyes. After a second they both turned around and ran downstairs to see if the little 'artist' had caused any more damage with his new creamy, fuchsia weapon.

TCB.

* * *

**And here's where our little Picasso leaves us today. I hope you had a good time reading this chapter. PLEASE! Let me now what you think. **

**Reviews are pure love. It you leave one, I promise you'll be rewarded with my most sincere gratitude and respect. **

**Thanks for reading! :)  
**


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Believe it or not, I'm back! Before you get to read the chapter, I wanted to apologize for the delay on this update. Life can get really bitchy sometimes... Between writer's block, healths issues (own and family's) and work it's been impossible for me to write anything decent. I just hope this chapter is good enough for you, guys.

Thanks to all of you following, reviewing and favoriting this story. It means a LOT to me. Thanks for waiting patiently for me to update. Again, I'm sorry.

I also want to thank my AWESOME beta, CastleWriter16. She stayed up all night to edit this chapter, even having to wake up super early in the morning. Love you to the moon and back, girl!

And now, to the real thing. Enjoy! :D

* * *

**Chapter 14.**

It was hard to believe that only five minutes passed since they dodged Aidan at the stairs, until they found him in Castle's bedroom, jumping on the bed over a ruined, lipstick-stained comforter.

The kid was laughing and yelling; his hands, face and clothes were covered in a pink-y, creamy mass he had made sure of spreading all around the room, walls included.

"OH MY GOD!" Kate exhaled when she walked through the door. Her hand was covering her mouth and Castle couldn't really discern if she was holding a cry or a laugh. To be honest, despite the mess, the situation was pretty comical.

The writer leaned on the doorframe, taking deep, slow breaths to calm himself down before he did something he would regret later. Sure he was already a parent and he should be used to kids' mischief, but his sweet, little girl had never done anything like this. _Ever. _

After taking a couple more breaths and telling himself he could do it, he walked towards the bed and grabbed Aidan before he could land on the mattress after one of his jumps.

"Ok, little man, enough jumping." He said, sitting on the bed and placing the boy on his lap. "Can you explain all this mess?"

Aidan looked up at him with a lopsided grin, pretty much like his own. "I'm playing." The boy replied.

Castle raised an eyebrow at the kid's answer and looked at Kate, seeking help. The detective smiled at him and walked to them, taking a seat right beside him and squeezing his shoulder in reassurance.

As soon as Kate sat on the bed, Aidan moved himself to her lap, hugging her hard and pressing a sloppy, sticky kiss on her cheek. "Katie!"

Kate smiled back at the boy and returned the hug, pulling away from him after a minute. "You've made a big mess here, mister." She said, her face straight. "Do you think this i-"

She stopped talking when she looked down at Aidan and saw the kid burf and his face go white in a second lapse. "Hey, you ok, bug?" She asked worried, looking at Castle. "I think he's getting sick."

Rick reached for the kid's forehead, checking if he had a fever, but the temperature was normal. "He's not hot."

There was a knock on the door and Alexis walked inside the room with an almost empty plastic bag in her hand. "I think I know why he's so hyper." She said, showing them the bag. "He found my candy stash… Is he ok?" The girl asked, noticing the kid all curled up on Kate's lap and his pale face.

Castle nodded and stood up, taking the bag from Alexis' hand. "How much has he eaten?" He asked.

"I don't know exactly, Dad, but a lot. The bag was practically full."

Aidan moved his head to look at Alexis, giving her a tiny smile. "Candy?" He asked, pointing at the bag with a tiny, chubby finger.

"No way, buddy. You've eaten enough candy to last you a lifetime." Castle said, returning the bag to Alexis, who left the room with a smile on her face. "We have to clean you up and put you to bed. Come on, cabin boy, it's bath time!" He said, putting on his best pirate voice and stretching his arms towards Aidan.

The kid tightened his grip on Kate's neck and buried his face against her chest. "No! No bath!" He whined. "I'm tired."

Kate stroked the boy's head and put a kiss on his forehead. "I know you're tired, bug, but you're all dirty. You have lipstick everywhere. We gotta take it off." She explained to him.

Aidan pursed his lips and stared at her in thought. After a moment, he gave her a tiny nod. "Ok, but you come too!" He said, his eyes severe on her before he turned to Castle. "Katie comes too!"

The writer laughed and nodded his head, wiggling his eyebrows at Kate who returned his smile.

"Ok, little man, let's go. You need to go to bed soon."

* * *

The bath turned out to be a real odyssey. Castle took out all the pirate paraphernalia to entertain the boy, but he wasn't feeling well, and kept whining and pouting every time Rick tried to engage him on the game.

"NO!" Aidan yelled, when Castle handed him a sword. "I don't wanna."

The writer took away the plastic toy and put it away on the sink. "Ok, pal. No sword." He said, checking the water temperature. "Time to get in, come on."

Kate took off Aidan's socks – last pieces of clothing remaining on the boy - and took him in her arms, lowering him slowly onto the tub. The kid squirmed at the feeling of the hot water, wincing a little when his little feet sank into it. She turned to Castle with a wistful look on her face. "I would pay to be in his place right now…"

Rick smiled and nodded, turning to look at the kid. "Well he doesn't seem too thrilled about it." He added. "Hey, pal. You ok?"

Aidan shook his head. "My tummy hurts." He said, his voice low and shaky. "I want out!"

"I know, bug, but we have to clean you up first. Hold on a minute, ok?"

The boy nodded, sitting down on the bathtub. Castle grabbed a sponge and started rubbing all the pink mass off the kid's skin. It was amazing how such a little thing as a lipstick could cause so much damage. Not only was the boy covered in it, Alexis was too, as were his bedroom walls, his bed comforter and some of the papers on his desk. It would take a long time to get rid of all that pink.

"Castle?" Kate called him out of his reverie. "You better move."

Before he knew what was happening, Kate was taking Aidan out of the tub, lifting the toilet seat and making the boy hover over it so he could throw up.

"That's ok, baby. Let it all out." Kate whispered in the boy's ear. "You'll feel much better."

Castle stood up from the floor and grabbed a towel for Aidan. When the boy was done throwing up, Kate wrapped him in it and headed to the boy's room.

"You clean up this mess. I'll get him on his PJs and put him to bed." She told the writer, kissing him on the lips as she walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

Over half an hour later - that's what it took to leave the bathroom, at least presentable, after Aidan's little 'accident' – Castle walked to the boy's room to check on him and Kate. He couldn't hide the smile that crept into his face at the sight that greeted him when he walked into the small bedroom.

Kate was sitting on the bed, her back against the headboard and her legs spread on the mattress. She was looking down at a sleeping Aidan, who was lying on her lap with his face buried in her chest and his hand tangled in her hair. Castle had noticed the little quirk the boy had when he was sleepy or tired. When he was alone, he played with the hair in the top of his crown, but if someone was holding him, he tangled his little hand in their hair, grabbed a small lock of it and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger until he fell asleep. Castle found that extremely adorable, and by the way Kate was looking at the boy, so did she.

After staring for a little too long, as was his custom, the writer walked closer to the bed and brushed a finger over Kate's sharp cheekbone, startling her a bit and making her look up at him.

"Hey." He whispered, his eyes crinkling. "Looks good on you."

Kate couldn't help the nervous laugh that came out of her mouth. She knew he was joking, but just the thought of playing that same scene, but holding her own baby instead, made her feel apprehensive.

She nodded slightly and smiled, holding Aidan closer to her so she could get up from the bed to put the boy on it. She tucked him in, kissed his forehead and stepped aside so Castle could do the same.

"It's hard to believe such a cute thing can destroy a room with just some make up and those little hands, huh?" She joked, bumping her hip on Castle's.

Rick chuckled. "Yup." He agreed. "Evil hides everywhere!"

His conspiratorial tone made Kate laugh. She grabbed his hand and started pulling him out of the room. "Come on. We still have to make the bed before we go to sleep, and I have big plans for those new sheets you bought last week…"

She watched Castle swallow a big lump and chuckled, brushing the back of her hand over his bum.

They hadn't put a foot outside the door, when they heard Aidan's little voice calling.

"Katie?"

The detective stopped in the middle of the threshold, her eyes on Castle's, trying to find a way out. Rick just smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder, leaning over to talk to her.

"I'll make the bed." He mumbled against her temple, pushing her inside the room again. "The way you like it. With the extra sheet and all."

Kate pursed her lips and nodded, trying to hide her disappointment when she walked towards the boy again. She had been working all day and the only thing she wanted was to crawl into bed with Castle, have some sexy fun with him and fall asleep wrapped up in his arms. Yeah, that sounded like the perfect ending to a long and frustrating day. Damn her bad luck.

* * *

The night was _long _to say the least.

Aidan woke up like a million times, always crying and calling for Kate who, in the end, had to stay there with him, just to spare herself from constantly going up and down the stairs every time the kid called for her.

At 2 am he woke her up. He was trembling and mumbling loudly due to a fever-induced nightmare. Kate had to shake him out of it when he started shaking and two fat tears rolled down his face. After that he was scared to close his eyes again, and all she could lay beside him, stroking his face lazily until he finally fell asleep for the tenth time that night.

It was almost 5:30 when her phone came back to life, waking her up from an uneasy and light slumber. Kate rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and reached for the phone on the bedside table. Thank goodness she had put it on vibrate when she took it out of her pocket that night.

"Beckett." She rasped out.

Esposito's voice brought her back to the living as he told her about a new body found at the park. It was the third in less than two days, and all evidence pointed to the same killer.

"Ok, Espo. I'll be there in half an hour."

She hung up the phone and looked down at the sleeping form that was practically clinging onto her. His forehead didn't feel warm anymore and by the depth of his breathing, she could tell he was fast asleep this time.

Untangling the kid's hands from her pajama top, she got up from the bed and made her way downstairs to get ready for another long day.

* * *

He was too cute for his own good… When she walked into the room Castle was lying in the middle of the bed face up, all his limbs stretched along the huge mattress. It was as if he was trying to cover every inch of bed with his body. Kate couldn't help but smile.

She walked into his walk-in closet and grabbed some fresh clothes before entering the bathroom to take a quick shower. In a little over ten minutes she was clean, dressed and her hair and make-up was done. Too many early mornings had made her very fast.

When she walked out of the bathroom, Castle was gone.

* * *

She found him in Aidan's room trying to comfort the little boy, who was calling her name over and over again. The crying stopped as soon as she crossed the door.

"Katie!" Aidan sniffled. "Where were you?"

Walking closer to the bed, she sank into it right beside Castle, taking the boy's hand in hers. "I was getting dressed, bug. I have to go to work."

"NO! You not leaving!" Aidan cried.

"Shhhh." Castle tried to soothe him. "I'm sure she'll be back soon, pal. Right, Kate?" He asked, his blue eyes hopeful.

Kate bit her lower lip and got up from the bed, making a sign for Castle to follow her. "We'll be right here, bug, ok? Not going anywhere." She told the boy stepping outside.

It was useless. He kept crying and calling her name so loudly that Martha and Alexis came out of their rooms, both tying up their robes with their furious red hair all tousled up.

"What's going on?" Alexis asked.

Castle walked outside the room, leaving the door open so the boy could see them. "Aidan is having a hard night…" He said, brushing away a strand of wild hair out of his daughter's face. "Go back to bed."

"You sure everything's okay, kiddo?" Martha asked, noticing Kate's work clothes. "Are you going out?"

Kate nodded. "I have a case." She replied. "And I'm already late, Castle." She added, taking a look at her watch. "Espo is going to kill me."

"KATIIIEEEEE!"

Castle sighed and kissed Alexis goodnight. "Just go to bed. It's ok." He told both redheads. He then turned to Kate and lowered his voice. "Are you sure you want to leave?" He asked.

Kate looked at him confused. "What do you mean if I'm sure? I _have_ to go."

"Yeah, but…-"

"Katiiieeeee!" Aidan called again.

The detective took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. "Castle, I know he wants me here, but I can't ditch my job just because of a kid's whim. I'm not his mom!"

That had hurt and she could see it in his eyes, but he kept his straight face and nodded, letting out a long sigh. "Yes, you're right. You're not his mom." He whispered. "I'm sorry I asked so much from you, Kate. But don't worry. It won't happen again".

What did that mean?

"Wait a second, what does that mean?" She asked, more than a little irritated.

Castle shrugged. "Nothing. I understand this is too much for you, Kate. Your job is more important. I'm sure I can make Aidan understand that."

Oh, that stung. "Castle, I think you're making too big of deal out of this. He's just having a little indigestion, and besides, you're here! He doesn't need me. He's just being capricious."

"Fine. I guess you're right." He agreed, the darkness in his eyes telling her that all that acquiescence was nothing more than a façade.

Castle grabbed her coat from the doorknob where she had hung it before and handed it to her. "I thought you were late."

She just nodded and put on the blue garment, stopping to look at him before she started doing the buttons.

That wasn't right and she knew it. She knew she didn't feel like he was asking too much at all. She knew she wanted to stay and take care of Aidan until he felt better. She knew she was too scared to admit how responsible of that kid she felt; but she said nothing. She only nodded again, kissed him goodbye and left, Aidan's screams calling her name resonating in her ears.

**TBC...**

* * *

**Thought? Complains? Ideas? Anything would be perfect :) Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Again super late on my updating schedule. I'm really sorry. Life's going crazy right now and this is the best I can do. I hope you all understand.

Just a little space to FLAIL LIKE CRAZY *insert flailing Kermit gif here* about last night's episode! IT WAS AWESOME! lol It's great to see how all our dreams are coming true with this show.

Shout out to my AMAZING beta and best friend, CastleWriter16. She is just fantastic. I sent this to her yesterday and she returned it today, yet she apologized for taking too long to edit. Can you believe that? Could she be any more adorable? Love you lots, twin!

And now it's time to thank you all amazing people who are reading this. You have no idea the response I got with my last chapter. I was totally overwhelmed by it. It was AWESOME! lol I could say thank you from now till next year, and it wouldn't be enough. You guys rock. THANKS!

And after my looooong AN, you can proceed to read the chapter. Long one, just to make up for my lack of updating. ENJOY!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

As soon as the fresh morning air hit her face, Kate felt her lungs start working again. She knew her fight with Castle was far from over, and she didn't want to purposely walk back into it, but she also knew the longer she waited, the bigger the problem would become. She needed to figure this out fast.

She got into her car and turned the engine on, her hands squeezing the wheel, but going nowhere.

She couldn't get Aidan's screams for her out of her mind. That poor little boy had lost everything only a week ago, and was now living with a bunch of strangers in a place he didn't know. He had to be terrified, and she had left him there, sick and crying, calling her name at the top of his lungs and with no other explanation than she had to go to work.

_Stop it, Kate!_ Her brain chimed in. _It's not like you abandoned him. Castle's there. He's the father, not you._ And even though she knew that was the truth, it didn't make her feel any better.

* * *

Castle turned to Aidan's room the moment he heard the front door closing, making his way towards the screaming boy, his fight with Kate playing in his head like a broken record.

He knew she was right. She was not the kid's mom, but still, the way she had waved Aidan's sickness away as if it weren't important had stung. It was obvious that she cared about the boy. She wouldn't have spent the night taking care of him if she didn't, but he couldn't understand why she reacted the way she did when he asked her to stay.

He also knew that he had let the boy get attached to her, not trying to win a little bit of his affection for himself, and that was wrong of him. He couldn't expect things to work out right, when he wasn't bonding with his (more than likely) own son. That had to change.

The writer entered the room, where a very flustered Aidan kept calling for Kate, and kneeled beside the bed.

"Hey, pal, it's ok." He mumbled trying to hold Aidan's shoulders to make him look at him. "Kate will be back later, ok? Now you have to go back to sleep."

The boy let out a loud heave, his eyes watery and red from crying. "No! I want Katie now!"

"I know, Aidan. I know."

"KATIEEEE!" The kid screamed again. "I want my Katie back! Tell her come back, Rick! Please?"

Castle's heart clenched at that. He sat on the bed, grabbed the boy, wrapped him in his arms trying to keep him from kicking, and cradled him back and forth. "Shhh. It's ok, Aidan. It's ok. I can't make Katie come back now, but you'll be fine. I'm here, son. I'm right here."

The kid kept crying for a little while, but eventually he calmed down and his sobs subsided; he grasped at Castle's shirt with his little fists. His eyes closed slowly, but he stubbornly tried to keep them open. Sleep slowly overtook him, until it was too strong for him to fight.

* * *

"You're late!" Esposito yelled as she got out of her car. "You said thirty minutes, Beckett. It's been over an hour."

Kate flinched. "I know, Espo. I'm sorry. Something came up."

"You could have called." The detective kept on. "Lanie had to leave with the body ten minutes ago. She was fuming, girl. She's gonna kill you.

She sighed loudly and scratched her head, running her fingers through her hair to tame her wild curls. "What do we have?" She mumbled, ignoring Esposito's reprimand.

Ryan appeared at her side, holding his black pad and reciting every single fact he had gathered.

Black man. Mid thirties. No witnesses. The MO resembled the one of the two murders they were investigating.

"Just what I needed right now." Beckett groaned. "A serial killer to deal with."

"Why? Problems in paradise, boss?" Esposito mocked, looking sideways at Ryan, who was still taking notes.

"You know what? I'm gonna go see Lanie. I don't have time to deal with you guys right now." She said, closing her own pad and putting it in her pocket. "You know the process. Get back to me if anything pops up."

With that, the detective took the path she had walked a moment before and got back in her car, heading to the morgue.

Ryan, who had been busy writing on his notebook and had missed practically the whole conversation, looked up at his partner who was giving him an accusing look. He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

* * *

Lanie was already cutting the victim open when Beckett walked through the doors of the morgue, raising her hands and apologizing even before the ME had the chance to say a word.

"Lanie, I'm sorry, ok? Everything's a mess… I should have called to tell you that I was gonna be late, but… Oh, God. I don't even know what to do." The detective rambled, rounding the exam table and sitting on the chair by the microscope.

Lanie put the scalpel down, covered the body and padded towards her friend, her eyes soft and understanding.

"Ok, girl, you better relax." She said, putting a hand on Kate's shoulder. "I was mad at you when I first left the scene. I called you four times on my way here, but you never picked up, so I called Writer Boy." the ME paused and looked at her friend apologetically. "He sounded kind of off and that kid was screaming like crazy… Anyway, he told me you had left a long time ago. I just imagined something had happened between you two." Lanie stopped talking, took Kate's hand in hers and made her look at her in the eyes. "Am I right?"

Beckett let out a loud sigh and nodded. "He was still crying?" She asked, concerned.

"Castle?"

Kate couldn't stop the eye roll. "No, Lanie! The kid."

The ME nodded. "Yes. He was _very_ loud… Is he ok? Castle sounded worried."

Kate rubbed her forehead trying to put the words together. "Yeah. He… Aidan ate too much candy last night and he's been sick. I spent the night with him. The poor kid's thrown up more times than I can count…"

"Aww. Poor thing." Lanie mumbled, taking the chair beside Kate's.

"Yeah. He had a fever."

Lanie observed her now mute friend. She was playing with her hands nervously and that was something Kate Beckett rarely did.

"I suspect that Aidan being sick is not the only thing that has you this worked up?" The ME tried.

"No."

"So? What is it?"

Kate remained silent. She was thinking about how she could fix it, how she could make it all better without having to face Castle and his wounded gaze.

"Kate? You better spill. You know I have my methods to make you talk, girl." Lanie threatened her.

Kate glared at her friend and let out a defeated sigh. "He asked me to stay. I said no."

Lanie frowned. "Who asked you to stay? Castle? Stay where? You'll have to give me more details if you want me to understand this."

"I got the call and got ready while Aidan slept." The detective started. "By the time I was done, the boy had woken up and Castle was up in the room with him. He was crying, calling for me, but I had to go to work…" Kate paused. She couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving Aidan. "Castle asked me to stay and comfort the boy… I told him that I had to go, that I was not his mom… You should have seen his face, Lanie. It hurt him._ I_ hurt him."

"Aw, Kate. I thought you two talked about Aidan. You didn't work it out?" Lanie asked.

Kate shook her head and gave her friend a forced smile. "No. I… We talked about him keeping the kid, but not about me or my issues about it. I just don't know how to do it. If that boy's his son, I can't compete with that. I can't make him choose, Lanie."

"No one said you have to. Of course you can't make him choose, but you need to find out the way you can feel comfortable about it. Cause if that kid's his son, you will have to find your place in his life. If you still want to be in Castle's life…"

Kate gasped. "Oh, God, Lanie! What? How can you… Oh…" she stammered. "Of course I want to be in his life. I love him."

"Then you better make up your mind, girl, cause he's made very clear that he wants you there."

"Yes! But how, Lanie? What if he wants me to be more than what I'm ready to be?"

That was her biggest fear. What if Castle expected more than she could give right now? How was she supposed to tell him that it scared her without hurting him?

Lanie touched her shoulder and brought her back to reality. "That's what you need to clear up with him, honey."

* * *

Aidan opened his big blue eyes at 9 am, rubbed his little hand against his cheek and yawned loudly. He was still feeling a little dizzy, but with all the vomiting the night before, he was starving.

After getting out of bed and looking for his slippers, he ventured outside his room and went to look for an adult.

His first stop was at Alexis' door. He stood looking at it for a moment, pondering if the redhead would still be mad at him after the lipstick incident. She didn't look mad last night when she brought the candy bag for Rick to see it. She even smiled at him.

Finally, he grabbed the knob and pulled down, opening the door slowly and peeking his head through the gap.

"Hey, munchkin!" Alexis greeted him with a big bright smile, patting a spot beside her on the bed. "Come'ere."

Aidan opened the door wide and ran to the bed, jumping and landing practically on top of the girl.

"Easy, grasshopper!" She laughed. "You feeling better?"

"Yes."

"Good." The girl ran a hand through the boy's hair and smiled. "You do look better. Want me to read you something?" She asked, picking up the book she had dropped when the boy walked in.

The kid shook his head and tugged at her sleeve. "Uh uh. I'm hungry

Alexis smiled and put the book down again. "You're hungry, huh? Ok, let's see what we find for you downstairs."

* * *

Castle was in his office talking on the phone when he heard clattering in the kitchen, followed by Alexis' muffled voice and Aidan's laughter. Despite his horrible mood that morning, he couldn't help but smile, imagining the scene that was taking place just a few feet away from him.

"Are you there, Castle?"

Lanie's voice brought him out of his reverie. "Uh, yeah, Lanie. Sorry."

"I was saying that you will need to sign a few documents before I can release the body to the mortuary." The ME pointed out. "Think you could come by this morning?"

"No. I… Mother and Alexis will be leaving in a while and I don't want to take Aidan there… Do you think you could send me those papers with a messenger? I'd sign them and send them back to you in no time. It'd be faster and equally effective."

Lanie thought for a minute. "Hm. Yeah, I think I could do that. I will call one right away. The sooner we get this done, the better."

"Yes. Thank you, Lanie."

"No problem, Writer Boy. I think it's a sweet thing, what you're doing for that kid."

"Yeah, thanks." Castle replied. "I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"Sure. Bye."

Castle was putting the phone back on his desk when Alexis walked into the study.

"Hey, Dad." She greeted him, walking closer and kissing his cheek. "I'm making breakfast. Do you want to eat something?"

"No, thanks, Pumpkin. Had my coffee a while ago. Not hungry today."

"Oh, ok. Aidan is in the kitchen having toast and some milk. He's feeling better." The girl nodded towards the phone. "Were you talking to Kate?"

Castle's face fell, the memory of their fight still fresh in his head. "Um… no. I was talking to Lanie. I've… God, I haven't told you about this."

Alexis narrowed her eyes and arched an eyebrow. "You're not fostering more kids, are you?"

"What? No!" The writer laughed. "No. It has nothing to do with that." Taking the back of his chair in his hand, he turned it and sat on it, leaning against the backrest. "I'm taking care of Alyssa's body. We'll have a funeral for her tomorrow evening."

"Alyssa? Oh! That's Aidan's mom, right?"

"Yes. She had no family. I just couldn't let her be buried in a mass grave and disappear. I want Aidan to have somewhere to go when he needs his mom."

"That's very sweet, Dad." The girl said, leaning on the desk and giving him a big smile. "Um… Is everything okay with Kate? You two didn't look very happy earlier this morning."

Castle sighed and pursed his lips. "Well, let's say things are a little messed up right now."

"I'd say they're more than a little messed up, kiddo." Martha intervened, walking into the study wrapped in one of her colorful robes. "I heard you this morning, Richard. This is serious."

Rick sighed and tried to muffle the annoyed laugh that escaped him. "Is there any way to have some privacy in this house anymore?" He asked, raising his arms in the air.

Martha waved his melodramatic response and sat on one of the armchairs close to his desk. "Whatever, kiddo. You two need to talk things through before it gets worse."

"I know that, Mother. But it's kind of difficult to talk about anything with her. She always finds a way to get out of it." Castle blurted. "I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to make things better."

Alexis reached for her father's hand. "It's ok, Dad; you're both overwhelmed by this. It's normal." The girl said. "I do understand Kate's fears about all this; I mean, I was easy to deal with. I'm practically an adult; I'm going to college… Aidan's just a baby. That's a lot to bear in a two month old relationship."

"I know that, Alexis, but what about me? This is new for me too, and if you haven't noticed, he is supposed to be _my_ son. This is _my_ life changing too! In fact, if she decides that it's too much and leaves, I'm the one who has to raise that kid. Don't you think I'm scared too? Don't you think I'm terrified that she thinks this is too much and leaves me to do this alone _again_?"

Both Martha and Alexis looked at him speechless for a moment. He was absolutely right.

"You won't have to do it alone, Dad. I doubt Kate's going anywhere, but if she did, you have _me _now. I'm here."

Martha nodded. "And me, darling. You know I'm here too."

"Rick?" Aidan's voice came in from the door. The boy was standing right in front of the threshold, one of his hands playing with the hair on his crown and the other pulling up his pajama pants.

"Hey, buddy! You finished your toast?" Castle asked as Aidan ran to him and climbed into his lap.

As soon as he was on him, the kid started playing with Castle's nose. "Yes. I want hot chocolate."

"I don't think chocolate's a good idea today, pal. We need your tummy to get better."

Castle creased his nose when the boy pressed his finger at both sides of the bridge. "My tummy is good."

"Yes, but you can't have hot chocolate today." Alexis replied. "I'll make you a big, delicious glass of it tomorrow morning, ok?"

"Kay."

When the boy tried to put one finger inside his nose, Castle caught his hand and stopped it. "What are you doing?" He asked, amused.

Aidan tilted his head to one side and stared at him for a second before he answered, "your nose is funny."

The writer looked at the boy stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing loudly. "Oh, really?" He chimed. "I have a funny nose, huh?"

They all laughed at the high scream Aidan let out when Castle's fingers landed at his sides tickling him mercilessly.

* * *

Beckett checked her watch at 7:14 pm. This was quickly becoming the longest day of her life.

The case kept leading them to dead ends. Whenever they thought they had something solid, it turned into sand the moment they started pursuing it. There were no suspects, no more loose ends to help them figure anything out, and Kate was sure this was on track to be the most frustrating case of her career.

And then there was Castle. And Aidan. And all the big mess her life had turned into in the last six days.

The phone rang pulling the detective back to reality.

"Beckett."

"Hey, girl. Just finished the autopsy on your last victim." Lanie's voice came out through the receiver. "Want me to fill you in or would you rather come here and pick up the report?"

Kate rubbed the back of her neck and stretched her free arm. "Too tired for road-trips, Lanie. Did you find anything?"

Beckett listened to the ruffling of paper and Lanie's breathing for a moment, until the ME found what she was looking for and replied, "well, he was strangled with his own belt, then shot twice in the chest, just like the other two victims. 9mm bullets. I found nothing out of the ordinary on his physical exam."

"Long story short, we have nothing." Beckett blurted, scratching her head and sighing loudly.

"Not exactly."

"Lanie, you just sai-"

"Will you let me finish?" The ME practically yelled into Kate's ear. After the detective mumbled a silent sorry, Lanie went on. "I didn't find anything on the _physical_ exam, but when I started examining his clothes, I found a piece of paper inside his left shoe. It had the address where we found him written on it and I managed to get a partial fingerprint."

Kate straightened in her seat, her eyes wide in anticipation. "Please, tell me it doesn't match the victim."

"Ok. It doesn't match the victim." Lanie added, her smile leaking through the phone. "It's nothing yet, but they are already processing it to see if they can find a match in our database."

"That is great news, Lanie. Thank you!"

"No problem, girlfriend." She chimed. "By the way, I talked to your man this morning."

Kate pursed her lips. "Yeah, you told me."

"No, after that. About the kid's mom's body."

"Oh."

Lanie paused and let out a big puff of air. "He's already arranged everything. The funeral will be tomorrow at 7 pm. Thought you'd like to know."

The detective sighed and let out a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah, thanks."

"You need to talk to him, Kate."

"I know. I will. Goodnight, Lanie."

"Night."

* * *

The phone still rested in her hand five minutes after talking to Lanie, and she couldn't stop staring at it, as if the little object had the answer to all her problems.

After another five minutes went by, she unlocked it and dialed Castle's number without even thinking. Two tones later, his voice filled her ear and made her heart flutter.

"Kate, hey!"

"Hey! Um… I... uh…" She stammered.

Castle sighed. "How's the case going?" he asked, sounding uninterested.

"Um... Well, we're kind of stuck right now. This guy's covering all his tracks, but Lanie just found something promising." Kate explained. She wished he was there helping her with it.

"You'll get him." He mumbled.

Another sigh. "Yeah... I guess. Eventually."

"You will."

Aidan's cheerful voice resounded in the background. God, she missed him. "Um... How's the bug doing?"

She could feel Castle's smile through the phone. "Oh, he's good. Watching TV right now. We were wrestling when you called."

"Wrestling, Castle? He's 3!" Kate chuckled.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." He joked. "This kid's gonna be strong!"

"I is strong!" Aidan yelled from the couch.

Kate couldn't help but laugh at the kid's enthusiasm. "Yeah, I bet. So, he's... Fine?"

Castle took a while to answer. She knew her leaving had hurt him more than it had hurt Aidan. "Yeah. He woke up this morning as good as new. Been eating normally and all."

"No chocolate today!" The boy chimed in again, making Kate laugh.

"Great. I'm glad to hear that."

"Yeah."

A long two minutes passed without any of them talking, the awkward silence stretching the distance that was growing inevitably between them. When it became too much to bear, Kate spoke again.

"Rick, look, I... I won't be able to make it to the loft tonight. We have an early start tomorrow and well, it'll be easier if I just go to my place. I still have a lot to do here tonight an-"

"Kate, it's ok. I understand. You have work to do." He interrupted.

She winced at his harsh tone. "Yeah. Um… Would you... Will you say hi to everyone from me? Please?"

He snorted. "Sure."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Another silent minute went by.

"I gotta go, Castle. Have to finish here. Long phone records to go through before I leave."

"Yeah, ok. We'll talk."

"Yes. Um... Castle?" No answer. "I love you."

Tears huddled up in her eyes when the annoying beep of the cut line was the only reply she got.

It didn't last long. Not a minute after she hung up, her phone vibrated, letting her know she had a new text message.

_I love you too. _

TBC.

* * *

**Good? Bad? Meh? Let me know what you think about it. Thanks for reading! :)**


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Hey guys! Believe it or not, I'm back. I don't know how to apologize for having you waiting all this time for an update. My life's crazy right now. I have too many things in my head and writing's been practically impossible for me. I hope you all understand it and don't hate me too much.

Thanks a lot for your reviews, follows and favorites. I'm really happy that you like this story. Also, thanks for dealing with my shitty updating schedules. You have no idea how thankful I am for you, guys.

My beta won't be available for a while (hope everything's ok, girl!), so from now on, you will also have to deal with my horrible grammar. Sorry about that.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_Make it stop. _Those were the only three words his brain was producing. _Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop. _He opened his eyes, at last, trying to get out of the sleep haze that had him hostage, squinting at his bedside table and, finally, taking into account the disturbing noise his phone was making over it. He reached for it, trying to focus his sleepy gaze on the caller id. Spiral Labs. He swallowed the lump in his throat and rubbed his face with his free hand trying to regain some composure. This was the news he had been waiting for days, and he didn't know if he was ready to hear it.

"Hello?" He blurted, his voice rough and soaked in sleep.

He heard a little rasp; then, the soft voice of a woman filled his ear "Mr. Castle? This is Dr. Johnson from Spiral Labs. We got the report on your first paternity test back today, and I thought you'd like to know the results before we send all the information back to the court." The woman said on a breath.

Castle's eyes widened and he turned to look at the little bundle lying beside him on the bed. Aidan was asleep at his side, his knees up to his stomach and his toes pressed against the writer's thigh, making himself a little ball. Castle smiled and removed a rebel lock of hair from the kid's face. This was it.

"Yes. Yes, I'd love to know."

Dr. Johnson took a breath and spoke again, "well, according to the DNA samples we took from both you and the child, the study confirms that the subject A; that's you Mr. Castle, is the father of the subject B, Aidan Benjamin Willick, with a 99.07% of accuracy." She finished.

Castle remained silent, trying to assimilate the information that had been given to him.

It was final. He had a son. He was Aidan's father for real.

A soft cough caught his attention. "Are you still there, Mr. Castle?"

"Yes. Sorry. I was… Um… Thank you. Yeah… Thank you. Do I… Do I need to sign anything? Any papers that I need to pick up?" He asked a little lost.

The woman in the other side of the line hummed. "Hm, no, it's not necessary. We're sending you a copy of the report through your lawyer; so you don't have to worry about anything, Mr. Castle." The woman paused, and after a few seconds asked, "do you have any questions?"

"No. No, thanks. I'll ask my lawyer for the report when he gets it. Thank you for calling."

The writer hung up the phone and turned to look at his son. _His son_. He could call him that now.

It was funny how life worked. He had always wanted to have a little boy. His experience with Alexis had been absolutely amazing, but his dream of having a boy had never faded. He couldn't deny that when he and Kate started dating, his hopes had increased. Maybe someday they could make a little baby or two. Maybe he could have the chance to fulfill that dream.

Now it had come true, he had his little boy, but there was no Kate to share him with.

A positive paternity test made him a father, but it didn't make Kate a mom. She was not ready for that and Castle couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be.

* * *

A 9mm. The killer had used a 9mm and then had strangled the victims with a piece of their own clothing.

The first one had been a 27-year-old woman, shot twice and strangled with her pantyhose in an alley. The second one… _oh, yeah, _the 52-year-old man. He was… he was shot, yeah, twice, as the others. Strangled with his tie and left in a bench at the park. The third one… He was the one who ruined everything. The 30-year-old man found dead in front of his building, had died the same way as the others, two shots to the chest and strangled with his belt. But he hadn't just died. He was the reason her relationship with her partner/boyfriend hung in the balance.

_Ugh, don't be ridiculous, Kate. You ruined that yourself. The only thing that poor guy did was getting killed, and that was not exactly his fault._

Kate's mind was racing in front of the murder board. It was barely 8:30 am but she had been there for hours. Her brain refused to stop working that night, and she couldn't stand staying in that empty bed thinking about Castle and Aidan and everything that had gone wrong that stupid morning.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

When Castle walked out of his bedroom he realized there was no one there to tell the good news to. Martha had spent the night out and Alexis had left early that morning to meet her workgroup for an important project they were working on.

He toyed with the phone in his hand, the idea of calling Kate dancing in his mind. His thumb brushed over the phone button and then over the 'favorites' tag. Kate's name was looking at him from the screen, waiting for him to press his digit over it. He didn't do it.

Putting the phone on the counter, he moved to the fridge and took out the ingredients to surprise his _son _– a thrill ran down his spine at the thought of the word - with an amazing breakfast.

* * *

The smell of fresh coffee, bacon, eggs and chocolate chip pancakes filled the air of the loft when Castle walked back into his room to wake Aidan up. He opened the door, just to find the kid sprawled over the massive bed, his head where his feet should be and the cover all tangled around his little body.

Castle leaned over the boy's head, smiling at his peaceful sleeping face, and then stretching his arms to tickle the kid's tummy.

The writer was not sure what happened first, if the deafening shriek, or the jump Aidan gave when he felt his hands on him.

"Riiiiick!" The boy screamed. "No tickle!"

Before the boy could escape from him, Castle grabbed him by his waist and put him over his shoulder, carrying him as if he was moving a potato sack, and sitting him on a kitchen stool.

"Ok, little mousekin, time for breakfast." He said, planting a dish full of pancakes in front of the boy.

Aidan looked at the chocolate smiley faces staring at him from the plate and then turned to Castle, giving him a toothy smile of his own. "They're happy."

"Yes." Castle chuckled. "They are."

* * *

Aidan ate his pancakes eagerly, not leaving even the crumbs of the golden smiling faces that Castle had made sure of bathing in maple syrup. Genes were wise, and being his father's son, the boy had been gladly surprised with the brownish pool his breakfast had been floating on.

"They were good, huh?" Castle asked with a smirk adorning his face.

Aidan nodded effusively, his wide blue eyes fixated on the writer. "Yes!"

"Okay. Now that you've eaten your breakfast like a big boy, there is something I need to talk to you about."

The writer rounded the kitchen island and picked up the kid from the stool he was sitting on, carrying him to the couch and letting him fall on his butt over the fluffy cushions.

"There you go, Bomb Boy!" He joked, making Aidan laugh hard when he landed on the couch, bouncing a little.

"Again!" The kid yelled.

Castle chuckled but shook his head. "Maybe later. Now I have to explain some things to you, buddy." His face fell a bit, his eyes reflecting the seriousness of the issue he had to bring up and face the little boy with.

He rubbed his chin with his right hand, trying to find the words. "Aidan, do you remember Icy the ice cream cone?"

The boy nodded, his big blue eyes squinting a bit at the question.

"Good." The writer added. "Remember how he fell to the floor and we buried him? How we said goodbye to him?"

"Yes, 'cause he was gone. He never coming back; like mommy." The boy replied, his lower lip quivering a bit at the mention of his mom.

Castle struggled to catch a breath at the kid's sorrow, but went on. "Yes, like mommy." He agreed. "Well, we're doing that same thing with her."

"You putting her in a plant pot?"

The writer had to fight the laughter from escaping his mouth. He was definitely his son. "No, Aidan, I'm not putting her in a plant pot." He said, ruffling the kid's hair. "But we're going to bury her and say our goodbyes later today."

The boy looked up at him, his little mouth pursed into a tiny circle under his nose. "And she not be back?" He asked after a few seconds.

Castle shook his head slowly. "No, Aidan. She won't be back."

He could see the kid's eyes swelling up with tears, his lip trembling again and his cheeks becoming a soft pink as he tried to fight the sob that wanted to come out.

"It's ok to cry, Aidan. It's ok to miss your mommy."

His arms were full of sobbing boy in a matter of seconds. The kid trembled and wept, his hands turned into fists against the writer's chest.

It broke his heart; such a young boy having to go through something like that. Having to say goodbye to his mother and get used to a father he didn't even know he had.

He was hurting. His son was hurting and he couldn't do anything about it; because, how do you save your kid the sorrow of losing his mother when someone took her away from him forever?

In that moment, Jim Beckett came to his mind. He couldn't help but think about how he must have felt having to deal with the pain of losing his wife, but also the impotence of not being able to keep his child from such kind of experience. How understandable, albeit reprehensible, it seemed now, that he had turned to the bottle to quiet that nagging voice in the back of his head telling him he had let that tragedy happen. That he hadn't been there to protect his family, even though there was no way any of it was his fault.

Oh, how he understood the man now...

It took Aidan long minutes to let it all out. When the writer felt him stilling on his lap, he tilted the kid's chin up and wiped the almost dried tears away with his thumbs.

"Feeling better?" He asked, his hands still cupping the boy's face.

Aidan nodded, sniffling loudly.

"Ok. Now there's something else I need to tell you." He mumbled. "Um... You know what a dad is, right, Aidan?" He inquired.

"Yes. It's like a mommy, but it's a boy." The kid replied very proud of himself.

Castle chuckled and nodded. "Exactly. You are very clever!"

"But I don't have a daddy." The boy added matter-of-factly. "Some kids don't have daddies."

"Who told you that?" The writer asked a little stunned.

"Mommy."

"Well, yes, that's true. Some kids don't have daddies." Castle explained. "Some don't have mommies... There are even kids who don't have any of them." He paused to take a deep breath, and then added, "but you do have a dad, Aidan."

"I do?" The kid asked, his dark brows furrowing over his blue eyes.

"Yes, you do." Castle answered, the smile on his face fading at the boy's scared expression. "What is it?"

Aidan looked at him, pouting. "I don't want a daddy."

"What? Why not?"

"I want here with you and Katie. And Lexy. And Martha."

Castle smiled and stroked the kid's head. "No one's taking you anywhere, Aidan. I promise. Do you know why?" He asked, his eyes soft on the worried child.

The boy shook his head.

The writer braced himself, held Aidan by the shoulders, and looking at him in the eyes, he said, "Because _I _am your daddy."

Aidan frowned and looked at him extremely confused.

"You are my daddy?" He asked incredulous.

Castle smiled. "Yes, Aidan, I am your daddy. Lexi is your big sister and Martha is your grandma."

The kid frowned again, tilting his head to the side. "And Katie? She my mommy now?" he asked sadly, but with a hint of hope in his eyes.

Castle winced. He didn't know how to answer that question, 'cause Kate wasn't the boy's mother, and given her reaction the day before, she wasn't exactly willing to be. But that didn't mean she wouldn't be ready in the future, right? She was it for him. He wanted her for the rest of his life, but did she want that life? Did she want to raise a child with him? A boy who wasn't hers? They so needed to talk.

* * *

They spent the rest of the morning playing. A little after noon, Castle fed the boy some pasta and put him to bed for a nap.

Back in the solitude of his study, he picked up his phone from the desk and rubbed Kate's name that stared at him from the little screen. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should call her. He didn't know how much time she needed after their fight.

When he was about to press the 'send' button, the front door opened and his daughter and mother walked into the loft, both carrying numerous bags. He stood up from his chair and ran to them, eager to let them know the big news.

"Hey!" He greeted them, frowning when he noticed the bags. "Weren't you on a study-date?" He asked his daughter.

"I was. But we finished early and met Grams for coffee." The girl explained with a smile.

Castle raised his eyebrows and tilted his head towards the bags. "Uh huh. They're serving coffee on bags now?"

Martha snorted and put her bags on the floor, right beside the stairs. "Don't be silly, darling. We went shopping after coffee." She said on a singsong tone. "I happened to have your credit card in my purse and decided to treat my granddaughter."

"With my money? Wow, mother, so generous of you." He joked.

Both redheads laughed at his antics and walked into the living room, Martha to serve herself a glass of wine, and Alexis to sink down on the couch.

"Where's Aidan?" Alexis asked, toying with one of the kid's racecars.

"Nap." He just said. "I… Need to talk to you about him."

Martha sat beside Alexis and took a sip of her glass. "What is it, Richard? Is he ok?"

"Yes, he's fine. Well, as fine as he can be right now." He sighed. "I told him about his mom's funeral. I think he understands, but it's gonna be hard."

"Yes. Poor thing…" Alexis mumbled, still playing with the little car.

Castle nodded slowly, his head bucking down to look at the floor for a moment before saying, "I got a call from Spiral Labs this morning."

Both Martha and Alexis looked at him expectantly, but when he didn't say anything, his daughter asked, "and?"

The writer smiled broadly. "He's ours." He said. "He's a Castle."

TBC

* * *

**A/N: **I know Kate was kind of MIA on this chapter, but I think Castle and Aidan needed some bonding time alone. Already working on next one, so _**hopefully**_ it won't take me so long to update. Again, thank you for dealing with me all this time. You guys are the best!

**Feel free to leave a review or point out whatever mistakes you've seen, so I can correct them. Thanks a lot for reading! :)**


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N:** I can't believe it either! LOL. Twice in a week! This is unbelievable!

Anyway, I'm here and that's what matters. I had to make it up to you for being so patient and wonderful.

Thanks a lot for the reviews, follows and favorites. You guys blow my mind after every update. I LOVE YOUUU!

Also, a shout out to my beta (CastleWriter16) who is on hiatus from her duties, but I love her to pieces and she's been a very important part of this story from the beginning. If there are any horrible mistakes and grammar aberrations in this chapter, it's all her fault for having a life :P (Nah, all mine… meh).

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Her head had been spinning all morning, but she didn't know if it was because of everything she was thinking about, or because she was running on an empty tank. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before, and her body was letting her know that she needed to fill up on gas if she wanted to go on.

Getting up from her desk, she walked to the break room and joined the boys, who were sharing practically the whole menu from their favorite Chinese spot.

"Hey boss!" Ryan greeted her. "Finally couldn't resist the scent of this amazing beef on oyster sauce?"

Kate smiled and sat beside a very food-absorbed Esposito, who was stuffing his mouth with a huge spring roll. "Yeah, that, and I could hear your moans from the bullpen."

Both detectives laughed at that and handed her a couple of white containers full of food.

They ate in silence, the three of them lost in their own thoughts.

When Ryan and Espo were done, they went back to the bullpen to go on with the case, but Kate could feel the fatigue of a sleepless night catching up with her, and decided to lie down on the couch for 10 minutes to rest her head.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-**_

_Her heart is racing, trying to climb up her throat and come out of her body. Her hands keep running through her hair in a nervous tick, and the air that gets to her lungs doesn't feel like it's enough. Castle is beside her, his hands holding his head, his legs trembling nervously under his elbows. _

"_She's taken him, Kate. She has Aidan. Only God knows what she's capable of."_

_She doesn't know how to reassure him, what to tell him so he can hang onto faith for a little longer._

_Her trembling hand finds one of his, tugging and squeezing until she can bring it to her mouth and kiss it. "We're going to find him, Castle. I promise."_

_**x-x-x**  
_

_Suddenly, she's in a dark room, her gun is on her hand and she's pointing it towards the woman holding Aidan hostage against her chest, using the boy as a human shield._

"_Come on, Beckett, I'm doing you a favor here. We both know you didn't want him, anyway." The woman says, steadying her grip on the kid's neck. _

_Kate shakes her head and cocks her gun, not losing her position. "Let the kid go."_

_The woman laughs and points her own gun to Aidan's head. "Why? This is very entertaining." _

"_Let him go!" The detective yells over the little boy's wailing. "He's scared."_

"_Oh, I know that."_

_Aidan moves against the woman's body, shaking his short legs trying to kick his captor. "Mommy! I want my mommy!" He sobs._

_Something sparks inside her at those words, and she runs towards the woman and shoots her in the head twice, grabbing Aidan before he can fall to the floor with her. _

_Sofia Turner's eyes look at her lifeless from the concrete plain. She hugs the Aidan, pressing him against her chest and rubbing a hand along his back. Crouching, she takes Sofia's gun and checks her pulse. When she certifies there's none, she closes the woman's eyes and mumbles, "I told you to let my son go."_

_**-x-x-x-x-x-**_

She woke up with a start, her face covered in sweat and gasping for air. The memory of the dream made her uneasy. She couldn't take Aidan's terrorized face out of her mind. And her words... _"I told you to let my son go."_

Her son? She didn't have a son.

Shaking the thought out of her head, she went back to the bullpen, taking her place in front of the murder board between Ryan and Esposito.

* * *

The afternoon was long and fruitless, mostly because certain detective wasn't able to concentrate on her job after her nap.

The boys kept asking her if she was ok, but she couldn't tell them what was going on when she didn't even know herself. That thing with Castle and Aidan was driving her crazy. They needed to talk, the sooner the better.

By five, she cleared up her desk and turned off her computer. With an apologetic look on her face, she went to the boys and told them she was leaving.

"Are you sure you don't mind? The case's stuck and Alyssa's funeral is in a couple of hours, and-"

"You don't have to excuse yourself, Beckett. Go make up with your writer." Esposito blurted out without taking his eyes from the computer screen.

Kate frowned. "Make up? How do yo-"

Both the boys turned to look at her then, twin smirks on their faces. "Come on, Beckett! You've been acting weird and he hasn't called all day. Sure you and Castle are not hitting it off right now." Ryan said, crossing his arms as he spoke.

Beckett raised an eyebrow surprised. "What?" Asked Esposito. "You think you're the only detective here?"

* * *

She went home, changed into black clothes and headed to the cemetery without even thinking about the time. When she got there it was only a little after six, which meant she had almost an hour to kill before the funeral started.

Three rows of chairs were gathered around the right-angled hole on the ground, and a green carpet had been spread under them, so people didn't have to step on the dirt.

Kate looked at the deep pit and thought about Aidan. Sure he was too young to remember any of it in the far future, but she wondered if the image of his mother's coffin being put on the ground would haunt him for the rest of his life the same way it haunted her.

She checked her watch and peered over the tombstones path she had walked so many times, shining under the retreating sunlight. She had time to pay her a visit.

When she got to her mother's tomb, she fell to her knees, kissed her hand and pressed it against Johanna's name, stroking the grooves carved in the stone.

She missed her so much.

"I wish you were here, mom." She whispered, trying to hold back the tears. "I wish you could tell me what to do."

A rebel tear made its way down her cheek as her hand wandered down to the epitaph. "Truth conquers it all." She mumbled under her breath. "But it's scary too."

* * *

She lost track of time, and when she checked her watch again it was already 6:52 pm. Standing up on trembling legs from kneeling on the ground, she made the way back to Alyssa's grave.

People gathered around the open ground, small groups of four or five people talking while they waited for the service to start.

At the left of the grave, already sat on their chairs, she spotted the Castles. Martha and Alexis were side by side, engaged in deep conversation. Near to Alexis was Castle, holding a crying little boy close to his chest.

Kate's heart broke for the thousandth time that day.

She walked towards them slowly and took the chair beside Castle, stroking his shoulder as she sat down and he gave her a forced, sad smile. He barely looked at her. He didn't talk.

It was worse than she thought.

The moment she sat down, Aidan raised his gaze from Castle's chest and crawled into Kate's lap, burying his face in the crook of her neck and mumbling, "she not coming back, Katie." into her ear.

A silent tear rolled down Kate's face and landed on the boy's dark curls. She pressed her cheek against his head and rocked back and forth, running her hands along his back.

This was so unfair. He was so young, so helpless. Her mother's death had caused her deep pain and had shaped and changed her life forever, but at least she had the chance to grow up with her, to learn from her. Aidan would never be able to do that.

"_You can change that, Katie." _ Her mother's voice resounded in her head. _"You can give that boy a second chance to grow up with a mother."_

Kate smiled, held Aidan closer and kissed his head, whispering against his scalp "it's ok, baby. I know it hurts, but we'll take care of you."

Castle's hand squeezed her knee then, his finger pressing hard against the fabric of her slacks. She looked up at him and gave him a watery smile, then dropped one of her hands to rest over his.

"Thank you." He said.

She just nodded and gave him a look that said, "we'll talk later."

* * *

The service was short but quite emotive and beautiful. Alyssa had a nice group of friends who loved her dearly, and talked about her warm heart and how much she loved her son.

Coach Milton was there, holding the hand of Carla Santino, Alyssa's best friend, and the mole who told the Ledger about Aidan.

Castle was still mad at her, but after the service, the woman came to him and apologized, explaining she was a single mother herself and that the Ledger offered her big money for talking about Aidan and his famous daddy.

"I am really, really sorry, Mr. Castle. I didn't think about how this would affect not just you, but Aidan too."

Castle nodded, but waved a hand in front of her, as if trying to erase the topic of their discussion. "It's ok. I understand your reasons. Any parent would do anything for their children."

Carla smiled and shook Castle's hand. "Yes. That's true." Then, she turned to Aidan stroked the kid's cheek and handed him a framed picture of him with his mother. "You have to be good to Mr. Castle, lil' A. Your momma will be watching you from up there – she pointed to the sky – and you know she wanted you to be a good boy."

The boy nodded and hugged Carla very hard. "You no coming?" He asked, his hand clutching the lapel of her jacket.

"No, baby, I'm going home, but we'll visit you soon, ok? Scotty can't wait to see you." She replied, giving Castle a hopeful look, that the writer answered to with a soft nod of his head.

"Thank you." Mumbled the woman, rising up to her height.

Castle smiled. "As I said before, any parent would do anything for their children."

That caught Kate by surprise. She frowned at Castle and squeezed the hand she was holding, trying to grant herself some answers. The writer just gave her a tight smile and whispered in her ear. "Later."

* * *

By the time they got back to the loft, Aidan had started to get cranky and whiny. It was a little after 9:30 pm, past the boy's bedtime, and they hadn't had dinner yet. He was tired and hungry. Not a good combination on a three-year-old.

"I want cookies." The boy chimed as soon as they walked inside the apartment.

Castle rolled his eyes and swept the kid off his feet, carrying him under his armpit. "I told you on the car that you can't have cookies for dinner, Aidan."

"But I want cookies!" The kid repeated, shaking his legs in the air.

As Kate and Martha busied themselves hanging everyone's coats in the closet, Alexis passed by them and headed to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, grabbed some fruit and a yogurt and then took out a bowl from a cabinet. "Ok, munchkin, how about some fruity yogurt?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

Castle put the boy on a stool right in front of his sister, who was already dicing some peach, pineapple and mango and putting them in the bowl.

"Mmm. That looks delicious." He said, stepping behind his daughter and stealing a cube of pineapple. "Yummy."

"Hey! That my dinner!" Aidan yelled, grabbing the bowl from the counter and circling it with his arms. "No touch!"

Castle smiled, but reached to get the bowl back. "Hey, you have to learn to share Aidan, that wasn't nice." He had to struggle to take the basin out of the kid's grasp, but at last he did and handed it back to Alexis. "Now let Lexi finish so you can eat it, ok?"

Aidan nodded and crossed his arms over the counter, leaning his head on them as he watched the redhead.

Kate stepped beside the boy and stroked his head. "You tired, little bug?"

"Yes." He sighed loudly.

"Well, eat this and you can go to bed." Alexis added, putting the bowl full of fruit and vanilla yogurt in front of the boy.

He ate it fast, making a little mess in the process, smearing yogurt on the counter and dropping a few pieces of fruit to the floor. When he was done, he put the spoon back on the island and turned to face the four adults, who had been watching him as he ate.

Castle let out a laugh as he took Aidan down from the stool. "Ok, that was… interesting to watch."

"Yeah." Alexis chuckled. "He ate like a baby dinosaur."

"I a dinosaur! RAWRRRR!"

"Yes, you are." The writer said. "Now kiss everyone goodnight and let's put you to bed."

The boy kissed Martha and Alexis, giving both a big hug too, but when it came Kate's turn, he took her hand, then grabbed Rick's and started walking towards the stairs, dragging them both with him.

* * *

"That was fast." Kate whispered as they walked out of Aidan's bedroom. "He was exhausted."

"Yeah, long day."

"I bet." She added, stopping outside the door and turning around to look at her boyfriend. "So… Anything you want to tell me?" She asked hesitantly.

Castle ducked his head and stared at the floor for a minute. "Yeah… Let's go downstairs. We have a lot to talk about." He took her hand and started walking to the stairs, when his stomach growled. "But first," he chuckled, "let's have something to eat."

* * *

After having dinner and saying their goodnights to Alexis and Martha, they headed to the bedroom, both silent and getting ready for what was coming. A talk not easy for any of them and that would define their relationship from that night on.

Kate sat on the bed and watched him strip his clothes off and get into pajama pants and a white undershirt.

"You gonna sleep like that?" Castle asked amused.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, but I don't want you to get… _distracted_ right now." She joked.

"Uh huh. What's that supposed to mean, detective? You think I can't control myself if I sit here and watch you take all those clothes off, letting that soft, creamy skin of yours bare for me to see?" He practically groaned, his eyes becoming darker with each word he pronounced. "Hmm… Yeah, you're right."

Kate chuckled and stretched her arm, an invitation for him to come closer. "Sit down with me, Rick."

He took her hand and sat beside her, their sides brushing. The air becoming heavier with every breath they took.

"So." She mumbled.

"So." He echoed. "Time for the serious stuff."

"Yeah."

He ran a hand through his head, the way he always did when he was nervous. "I got the call this morning."

Kate bit her lip and nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, her eyes looking for his and showing how much it hurt her that he hadn't call her when he found out.

"I don't know. I didn't know how to tell you, Kate. After all this…" He sighed, almost choking on his words. "I was happy. I was happy and I didn't want to feel guilty about it."

"I… I make you feel guilty?" Kate asked, her eyebrows forming a tight knot in the middle of her forehead, just like the one she felt forming in her throat. "Why?"

Rick stood up, pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes and started pacing. "Because I feel like I'm pushing you. I know you don't want this, but I can't help being excited about having a son. I… I love that child, and I love you, and I don't want to make you feel like you don't fit, or like I don't care about how you feel about all this, but also I don't want to push you into something you're not ready to deal with right now."

"I know."

"This is a complicated situation that neither of us would have ever thought we'd have to deal with, and I think that we are allowed to make mistakes. We are allowed to be scared, Kate."

"I know, Castle." She said with a smile. "Can I say something?"

He raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Of course."

She reached for his hand and pulled, making him sit down beside her once again. "I think we've both managed to make a big mess out of this…" She muttered. "The last week or so has been hard, Rick, I won't deny that. I think I don't have to tell you that all this thing of having a kid in our lives didn't sit well with me from the beginning. We have just started. We've only had two months for us, and even though we're still together, things are completely different between us now. You can't work with me anymore, you can't come over to my place for the night, and it may sound stupid, and childish, and selfish, but I miss that. And I know it's not your fault, or Aidan's for that matter, but you know how hard it is for me to get used to the changes in my life."

She paused and took a moment to check Castle's face. He looked somber, like he was expecting the worst to happen.

"That said, the last two days away from you and the little bug have given me a lot of time to think, and I've come to one conclusion."

Rick smiled and encouraged her to go on by squeezing her knee. "I love you, and I want to be with you. And it must be like Alexis said and Castle genes have something on me, 'cause I've fallen for that boy the same way I fell for his father." She let out on a chuckle. "I'm not saying that I'm ready to be his mom, Rick, but I want to be there for both of you. I want to help you raise your child."

The writer's eyes filled with tears. "Are you really sure? Because this is not something you can change your mind about, Kate. This is forever, no matter what happens between us. If you get involved in Aidan's life, you will have to be there. Always."

TBC

* * *

**A/N2:** Yeah, I know you think I'm a bitch right now, but me updating twice in a week had to come with a price (Muahahaha).

Nah, the real reason is that this chapter would grow and grow if I kept going with this and I don't want it to be excessively long. The good thing is that what comes next is already on the making, so it'll be up soon. Pinky promise!

Also, as you can practically feel by now, the end is approaching, probably one more chapter and the epilogue.

**Thanks a lot for reading! Feel free to leave a comment, review, correct any mistakes or just tell me whatever you want ;) **


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Yeah, yeah, I know. I told you that I was going to post soon and it's been almost 2 months again… I suck. I'm really sorry. Again. The good news is that this is the last chapter. YAY! And, I'm posting the Epilogue tomorrow night, so you won't have to wait for updates anymore ;)

Thank you guys for your patience and understanding. You are the best.

A big 'Thank you' to _CastleWriter16_ and _Tshlw_ for helping me and for encouraging me to write, even when I couldn't find the words. You guys are the best. Love you both!

And now, to the chapter. Enjoy! ;)

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Kate blinked her eyes open and stared at the darkness that filled the room. It was good being back in Castle's bed.

The writer's arm tightened its grip around her and she felt his nose nuzzling the back of her neck as he let out a loud sigh. She had missed him so much the previous nights, that just the feeling of his broad frame against her back made her relax and rediscover that _secure_ feeling that always engulfed her when he was around.

They had fallen asleep after… _catching up_ with each other, and even though she hadn't had much sleep the previous couple of nights, Castle's words had taken her brain hostage and were keeping her awake against her will.

"_If you get involved in Aidan's life, you will have to be there. Always."_

The sentence was playing in her head over and over again like a broken record, and it made her feel as heavy as her boyfriend's limp arm around her waist.

'_Always_'. Just a word, but it held so much meaning for both of them… She was sure Rick hadn't said it in vain. He knew exactly what it would do to her. How it would stir the doubts in her mind and make her realize how serious this was.

She couldn't just change her mind about Aidan and run away like she had done with him before. This was final. If she stayed now, she wouldn't be able to change her mind. _Ever_.

Thoughts of Aidan growing up caught her by surprise. Images of her holding the child's hand on his first day of kindergarten, of bedtime stories and kisses goodnight, of healing a scrapped knee after Castle tried to teach the boy how to ride a bike. Of playing laser tag with father and son - jumping over the furniture to escape from their attack, or helping him with his homework… so many things she didn't want to miss, but that scared her so much at the same time. Would she measure up?

* * *

A sharp blow to the ribs woke Castle up in the very early morning. When he turned towards the source of the disturbance, he found Aidan lying practically on top of Kate, his short legs hanging off the detective's waist while his head rested on her shoulder.

By the way his girlfriend was holding the kid, he was sure she was more than aware of their unexpected night visitor, and just that fact made him smile broadly.

After a short trip to the bathroom, he picked Aidan up to take him back to his bedroom. The boy stirred in his arms, mumbled something unintelligible and went back to sleep, his head falling with a soft thud against the writer's chest.

Castle walked towards the Aidan's room in the dark, trying to avoid any furniture or columns in his way. He tripped on the last step and had to hold himself against the wall to keep from dropping Aidan to the floor. He winced at the impact against the wall and opened his eyes slowly to look down at the little boy, who was still fast asleep, completely oblivious to the turmoil around him. He let out a deep breath and smiled. Crisis averted.

The rest of the way was easy. He found Aidan's room door open, the bed comforter spread on the floor by the end of the bed. He set the boy on the mattress and pulled the covers over his little body, brushing a hand through his tousled hair. _I do make pretty babies_, he thought with a smug smile on his face.

After keeping vigil over his son's slumber for a few more minutes, he turned to go back to his room, looking once more over his shoulder to check that the boy was sound asleep. He was so distracted glancing back, that he didn't noticed Aidan's slippers on the floor and tripped over them, falling flat on his butt.

"Daddy?" Aidan called, jumping startled on the bed.

Castle grunted, rubbing his lower back. "Yeah. Sorry, Aidan. I didn't mean to wake you up."

The boy got out of bed and ran to him. "Why you on the floor?" He asked, patting his shoulder.

"I tripped on your shoes." Castle replied, using the armchair near the door to help himself up. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."

Aidan stepped back, shaking his head slowly. "No. No this bed. I don't like it."

"But it's a nice, comfy bed. Why don't you like it?"

"It's here." The boy said, matter of fact. "I want with you and Katie."

Castle smiled and took the boy in his arms, hugging him closely and walking towards the bed. "You don't want to be alone, huh?"

He sat on the soft mattress with the child in his lap and kissed his forehead. "I know it's hard to be alone now, son, but we can't let you sleep with us every night. You have to sleep in your own bed."

Aidan pouted. "But it scary!" He whined.

"I know. I know it is, but you're not alone, you know." Castle stated, reaching for the little frame that rested face down on the chair nearby. "Your mommy is here with you. See?" He showed him the picture Carla had given him at the funeral reception. "She's taking care of you."

"Mommy is gone." The boy mumbled. "She not coming back."

The writer tightened his arm around Aidan's body and sighed. "She is gone, baby, but that doesn't mean she's not taking care of you even now." He leaned his head on top of the boy's, his cheek pressed against silky, dark brown hair. "Your mommy loved you very much, and she made sure that when she left you'd have a family, with people who love you as much as she did."

Castle placed the picture on the bedside table and put Aidan on the bed, pulling the colorful comforter up to his nose, making the boy laugh. "There you go." He chuckled. "She's gonna be with you every single day of your life, son; even if you can't see her."

The kid squinted. "She here now?" He asked confused.

"Of course. No matter where you are or how old you get. She will never leave you." He leaned and kissed the boy's forehead, lingering for a second. "Now close your eyes and sleep. I'll have some 'happy pancakes' ready for you when you wake up."

* * *

It only took five minutes for Aidan to fall asleep, and as he walked out of the room, he ran directly into his girlfriend. She was leaning against the wall in front of the door with a soft smile on her face.

"Hey." He whispered.

Her smile grew a little wider. "Hey." She shot back.

They stood like that, looking at each other in the middle of the corridor, at 4 in the morning, for two long minutes; both smiling and just happy to be there.

At last, Castle moved closer, his arms circling Kate's waist and pulling her to him. "What are you doing here?"

She pressed her forehead against his chest and sighed. "I woke up and both of you were gone." She murmured sleepily. "Then I heard a noise and came to check on you. What happened?"

The writer rubbed his lower back and chuckled. "I fell…" He said, wrinkling his nose. "Aidan left his slippers in the middle of the floor and I didn't see them."

Kate tried to suppress a laugh without success, rubbing his back on the same spot he had been massaging a second ago. "Aw, poor baby." She joked. "You want me to kiss it better?"

He met her playful eyes and pulled her even closer to him, running his nose along the shape of her jaw until he found her ear. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Kate's eyes were focused on the red numbers shining back at her from Castle's bedside clock, while her fingers lazily traced random patterns on her boyfriend's chest.

Almost 5 am, two hours until she had to get up and no sign of sleep. She could foresee an extra hard day at work.

Castle kissed her hair and breathed her in. "Normally, you fall into a deep coma after two rounds of mind-blowing sex, detective. What's wrong, hm?"

She chuckled and pressed her lips against his skin. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

Kate sighed. "About what you said before." She moved, resting her weight on her elbow so she could look at him in the eyes. "About being there for Aidan."

A worried smile appeared on the writer's face and he nodded, prompting her to go on.

"It scares me." She blurted. "I want to do it, but it scares me to death, Rick, and I want you to know that. I need you to know that I'm willing to do this, but I'm terrified."

Castle straightened himself on the bed, his back resting against the headboard, and pulled Kate up with him. "Kate…" He exhaled. "That's… normal! _I_ am terrified too. Being a parent is not easy, even when you've done it before. But… Do you know what makes me know that it's gonna be ok?"

She shook her head. "No. What?"

"You." He whispered, with his eyes fixed on hers. "This time, I have you and that makes all the difference."

"You raised Alexis all by yourself, Castle. You don't need me to do this."

"Of course I need you!" He replied, turning on the bed to face her. "I was lucky with Alexis. She's a great kid and she practically raised herself. More her doing than mine, really." He joked. "But that doesn't mean it wasn't hard. It doesn't mean I didn't miss having someone there to share her with." He paused, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Sometimes… Sometimes when I went to bed at night, I liked to pretend there was someone waiting for me there, and I talked about how hard it had been taking care of a sick 3 year old while trying to meet a deadline for my new novel. Or how much fun we had the first time we played laser tag on her fifth birthday… It was great having her all to myself, but most of the time I missed having someone to help me. To help her. Believe me, it's not easy for a guy talking about 'women issues' with his 12 year old daughter." Kate laughed at that and he smirked. "Yeah. One of the worst days of my life."

"You did a great job, anyway." She reassured him, her hand stroking his cheek. "And I'm sure you'd do an equally great job with Aidan on your own." Rick's eyes widened and she could see the panic in them. "But, I want to do this with you." She promised. "You will have to be patient with me, though."

Kate put her hands on his shoulders and swung around to straddle him. "Let's look at this as if I were shadowing you, huh? You learnt from me, now I get to learn from you."

Castle leaned in and kissed her soundly, letting go with a soft pop after a few seconds. "Kate Beckett, you really are extraordinary."

She smiled and stole a peck from him. "I know." She joked. "That's why you love me."

"Yep." He agreed. "Remind me why _you_ love _me_?"

She moved closer, pressing their chests together, and looked at him through her thick lashes. "Hm, let me think… Maybe it is because you're loud, and annoying, and self-centered, an-" He cut her off, tickling her and making her laugh hard. "Or maybe," She started again a little breathless, "it's because you're the most caring, generous, funny and loving man I've ever met."

They kissed again, more passionate this time. All the doubts were gone now. They were together and that was all that mattered. Always.

THE END

* * *

**Well, guys, that was it. Too sappy? lol I'd love to know what you think.**

**Expect the epilogue sometime tomorrow. I'll have Tshlw pestering me about it, so I'll keep my promise :P**

**Thanks a lot for reading. Love ya!**


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_**Three months later…**_

Castle, Kate and little Aidan walked through the door of the writer's building, greeting Eduardo, the doorman, with big bright smiles.

After three months of interviews, psychological evaluations and hearings at the family court, that same morning Aidan had become officially a Castle.

"Oh, come on, Kate. You can't tell me it's not cool!" Rick chimed. "I'm a writer and my son's initials are ABC!"

The boy laughed and ran, pulling both adults by their hands towards the elevator.

Kate scolded Aidan and turned to Castle, giving him '_the look'_. "Castle, you can't call your son ABC. He has a beautiful name. Would you like me to call you REC?"

"Hm… Now that you mention it…"

"Oh, shut up!" She slapped him in the chest, not being able to swallow the laughter.

As soon as they entered the lift Aidan started 'dancing'.

"You ok, buddy?" Castle asked smirking.

The boy shook his head and pursed his lips before talking back. "Potty."

Kate stroked the child's head and smiled. "Don't worry, bug, we're almost there."

* * *

They sprinted out of the elevator, Kate with keys in hand, rushing to open the door, and Castle carrying Aidan, holding him by his armpits to run with him to the bathroom as soon as they got inside.

The boy kept squirming in the air, his little hands holding his crotch trying to keep from peeing himself. "Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry." He practically sobbed.

"I'm trying, bug. Just hold it in."

The moment the door was open, Castle dodged Beckett and got inside the apartment only to stop in his tracks making Kate collide with his back.

"Castle! What are you do-"

"SURPRISE!"

"Oh, my god!" The detective exclaimed.

Everyone; from Martha and Alexis to Captain Gates, were waiting for them at the loft, holding a big, colorful banner that said '_**Congratulations, Baby Castle'**_.

"Oh, wow, guys. This is so-"

"Daddyyyyyy!" Aidan gasped, shaking his legs and pointing upstairs towards the bathroom. "Can't hold it!"

"Oh, yeah." Castle mumbled, and rushed upstairs with the boy swinging in his arms. "We'll be right back!" He yelled, before turning the corner and disappearing into the corridor.

Esposito chuckled and let go of the banner, scratching the back of his head. "Well, that was an entrance."

* * *

A few minutes after the almost 'frustrated' surprise, they were all sitting at the table, enjoying the succulent lunch that Martha had prepared that morning.

Castle was absolutely delighted. He couldn't help but look at each and every one of the people at that table and feel incredibly lucky for having them in his life. They had all been so supportive and such a big help in the application for custody. Even Gates, the one he thought would automatically decline his help request, had been fully involved in the process.

Kate squeezed his hand and tilted her head in question. "You haven't touched your food. Is everything ok?"

He smiled and nodded, taking another look at his big, beautiful _family. _"I'm just happy."

* * *

Lunch was delicious and extremely entertaining. Martha told them some stories about her Broadway years; Alexis shared some of her adventures as a freshman in Columbia and the boys, Kate, Gates and Lanie talked about recent cases they had been working on. Even Jim and Jenny shared some stories about their respective jobs.

Right before dessert, Castle took his glass and stood up. "I'd like to say a few words." He announced. "The last three months have been some of the hardest, most intense and beautiful of my life. I met this little guy – he said winking at Aidan – had to leave the precinct, which was the hardest part, but I also got to acknowledge the wonderful friends I have."

Espo chuckled. "Stop it, man, you'll make me blush." He joked.

Lanie shushed him and nodded at Castle, encouraging him to go on.

The writer just smiled at her and glared at Espo playfully. "You have all been amazing during this process and I'm immensely grateful to you. So, I wanted to make a toast." He raised his glass and looked at everyone in the eyes before saying, "to my friends, my family, my everything."

Everyone raised their glasses, including Aidan, and drank, all laughing and sharing knowing glances. They really _were _a family.

"Oh, well. That was sappy…" Castle joked, putting his glass back on the table. "Anyway, I also wanted to say that we're extremely happy to have a new addition to the family." He took Aidan in his arms and smiled tenderly at him. "But we're willing to make room for someone else."

All the looks landed on Kate who was staring at Castle completely lost. "What?"

"Oh, my god!" Lanie shrieked. "Are you…" She asked, mimicking a baby bump over her own belly.

"WHAT? NO! Castle, what the hell are you talking about?"

The writer laughed out loud at his girlfriend's annoyance. Then he reached inside his pocket and took out a grey little box. Beckett swallowed hard.

"We wanted to ask you something, Kate." He said, opening the box and revealing a set of keys attached to a beautiful silver keychain. "These are yours if you want them."

The detective frowned. "I already have a key to the loft, Rick." She stated confused.

"I know. This is a complete set." He smirked and passed the box to the boy for him to hold it.

Aidan looked up at Rick, back at Kate, and then took a deep breath before asking, "Will you move in with us, Katie?"

Everyone in the room held their breaths, their eyes fixed on Kate once again, waiting for her answer.

It took her a few seconds to process what was going on. She didn't know if it was going too fast or too slow when it came to her and Rick. Dating seemed too naïve for two people who had been on a relationship like theirs, but moving in after just 5 months seemed a little rushed. It was a big step. It was scary and carried a lot of more responsibility now that Aidan was in the picture. Was she ready for that?

Her eyes traveled from the little box to the boy's face, his familiar blue eyes twinkling with excitement and uncertainty, just like Castle's, and then she knew. She realized that spending all her time with these two people in front of her was all she wanted to do. She bit her lower lip and grabbed the little box Aidan was handing her, removed the keys from it and put them in her pocket, looking smugly at Castle.

"Is that a yes?" The writer asked incredulous.

Kate snaked her arms around both, big and baby Castle, and nodded with a big smile on her face. "Yes, Writer Boy. It _is_ a _yes_."

Aidan squealed and wrapped his arms around Kate's neck, pressing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Katie's living with us! Katie's living with us!" He chanted all excited.

Everyone in the room started clapping and cheering the couple, which was now sharing a sweet, chaste kiss to seal their new acquired commitment.

Kate smiled at her Castle boys and sighed. "I love you. Both of you."

* * *

_**Later that night…**_

"What a day, huh?" Kate asked, taking her place on the bed beside him.

Castle was writing on his laptop, the noise of the keys filling the room as he typed. "Yeah. A great one." He replied. "I still can't believe you said yes."

She chuckled and leaned against his side to peer at the screen. "Well, I did." She stated. "Getting cold feet, Ricky?"

"What? NO! No way. You said yes, detective, you're stuck with me."

"Good." She whispered, kissing him just below his ear. "What are you writing?"

"My journal." He closed the laptop and placed it on the floor beside the bed. "I started it when all this began. I read it all last night. So much has happened in three months. It's amazing."

"Yeah." Kate agreed. "You'll have to let me read it sometime. I can't believe we've come this far in such a short time. Who would have thought that we'd be sharing your loft and raising a child together in that span of time."

Castle laughed. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't have believed that in a million years."

"Yeah…" Kate sighed. "I wouldn't change a thing, though."

"Me neither."

As soon as those words were out of his mouth, he was attacking Kate, kissing her hungrily.

Sleep could wait tonight. They had a lot to celebrate.

* * *

Upstairs, in a tiny little room, Aidan held his mom's picture against his chest and told her about how he had the greatest family of all, thanks to her.

FIN

* * *

**A/N: **First of all I wanted to apologize for my updating pattern. I know I've been doing it with practically every chapter, but I really felt awful about having you guys waiting so long for an update. That said, I also wanted to thank you for the amazing support you've given to this story. I was blown away by all the alerts, favorites and reviews it's gotten. THANK YOU! You've been amazing.

_**To CastleWriter16:**_ You've been my beta practically through all this story and it was the thing that brought us together. I'm SO glad I asked you to do this... You have no idea. THANK YOU for being such an awesome person and for giving me your friendship. I love you lots. Also, you better stop being so busy. I want my beta back! :P

_**To Tshlw:**_ You've been a huge help during the last few weeks. I wouldn't have finished this story if it weren't for your encouraging and your faith in me. THANK YOU! You're an awesome friend. Love you!


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